We always make these Chocolate Crackle Cookies for the holidays! They are a wonderful, traditional Christmas cookie favorite for many families. If you haven't ever tried these, you need to add this to your holiday cookie list. (Like yesterday, really. You'll understand after you have a bite or two.)
While these chocolate cookies bake in the oven, they puff up and the powdered sugar tops crackle up, forming a candy sugar shell around these traditional Christmas brownie cookies. Some of our favorite Christmas cookies made from scratch!
Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, they're satisfying, but not extremely, overbearing chocolatey. I did use Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Baking Powder
, because I like more chocolate flavor. 🙂 (But that's just me, being obsessed with dark chocolate!)
You can use your own favorite unsweetened baking chocolate powder
. You can also flavor them with some peppermint extract
if you love chocolate and mint together, which is very Christmas-y!
I found this recipe on Williams Sonoma, made it and definitely recommend it. I especially liked it because I didn't have to chill the dough. Usually, this recipe has a chill time of an hour or so.
Hey!!! Can you ever have enough chocolate cookies? 🙂 Here's more!
Intense Dark Chocolate Mocha Latte Cookies
OMG! Thick & Chewy Mega ‘Chocolate Fix’ Cookies
‘Hubba-Hubba’ Brownie Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies!
ChocolaTess Trivia: Want to know how to keep most of that powdered sugar on your cookies when they bake?
Sprinkle and roll the cookie balls in the powdered sugar very generously and place on a cookie sheet, then repeat very generously sprinkling and rolling your cookie balls again. Place them on a cookie sheet to bake and soon you'll get that *crackle*!
You get beautiful crackles or crinkles (as some call it) on the top and the powdered sugar bakes into the chocolate fudge cookies. That's how the magic is done! Chocolate Crackle Cookies no wonder we love you!!
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon peppermint or mint extract
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter or use parchment paper.
- Put the confectioners' sugar into a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 egg and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the other egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
- Add in the flour mixture gradually and beat on low speed just until combined.
- Roll the dough into balls (1 tablespoon), then sprinkle and roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar until covered and place them all on one baking sheet.
- Roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar until covered a second time to give them an extra coat.
- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until they are crackled and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Using a metal spatula, move the cookies onto the rack and let cool completely.
- Repeat with the rest of the cookies. Makes about 24 cookies.
Notes
Hi Nicole, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. I would be careful adding peppermint because it can ruin a cookie dough fast, if you add too much. They will be delicious! 🙂
Great recipe; love these cookies! Have you tried these with peppermint extract? How much did you add?
Thanks!
If the dough is too warm, yes chill it 15 - 20 minutes. 🙂
My dough seems to be too soft to round into a ball and just gets all over my hands. Do I need to chill this??
Awesome! They are so yummy! Hope you enjoy!! Merry Christmas!!!
I ate most of these myself, even though I made them specifically for my husband Kelly! hahaha 🙂 So addicting! xoxo
OK. Since I am always opened for a good advice, I have added your cookies to my holidays' list 🙂 Thank you and have a pleasant day !
I love chocolate crinkle cookies!! My husband never got to try any from the last batch I made, so this gives me the perfect excuse to make these! Mmmm...chocolate. Yum! Xoxo
Good stuff! 🙂
I use Hershey's Special Dark, too. It brings out a deeper chocolate flavor.