These fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies are the perfect soft & chewy baked good to give as a gift to someone special (even yourself!) over the holidays.
If you're not familiar with chocolate crinkle cookies, they have distinct appearance because they're coated in powdered sugar before baking. In the oven, they form these ridges (i.e. the "crinkles") allowing you to peek at the chocolate insides. This causes a nice visual contrast between the light and dark colors.
More important than the visual appeal is the taste! These crinkle cookies are just so delectable. We coat them with powdered sugar to give them a nice sweetness, include some granulated sugar in the coating to give a nice crispiness, and prep it in a way that gives it a moist & fudgy texture.
Note that we're intentionally going to make these cookies on the softer and fudgier side. If you're looking for a crisp type of cookie, you may want to try a different recipe.
How to Make Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
What's great about this recipe is that it comes together so simply. While you do need to set aside some time to let the batter cool, making this recipe is not complicated.
Start by prepping 2 flax eggs. This is done by mixing 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Then let it sit for 5 minutes.
Prepare two mixing bowls for your dry & wet ingredients. In one bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the other, add and mix all the wet ingredients: flax egg, avocado oil, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the other bowl that has the dry ingredients. Then mix well until you form a batter. Cover this batter with plastic wrap and stick into the fridge for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, take the batter out. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Then start taking the batter and rolling into balls. I'd recommend using 1 and ½ tablespoons of batter for each ball.
Coat each bowl into the cup of granulated sugar first then coat it with the powdered sugar. Be very generous with both of these! The better you coat the balls with the sugar, the more the cookies will visually pop.
Place each ball onto a baking sheet without pressing down. Then bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Take them out, let them cool, and enjoy!
Ingredient Highlights
- Whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour hasn't been been as processed as all-purpose flour, so it still contains the bran and germ of the wheat. This means it's higher in fiber, protein, and nutrients compared to other types of refined flour making this a healthier choice.
- Avocado oil: Avocado oil helps add moisture and tenderness to the chocolate crinkle cookie. It's also much more neutral than other types of oil like olive oil, making it a good choice for a recipe like this where we want the sweetness and chocolatey flavor to shine.
- Applesauce: One of the egg substitutes we use is this (unsweetened) applesauce. It adds moisture & helps bind together the cookie. It also adds a little hint of sweetness, even when you're using the unsweetened variety!
- Flax Egg: The other egg substitute we use is this flax egg which acts as a binder for the cookie. A nice benefit to using flax egg is that flax seeds are super healthy! And while we're not using a crazy amount over here, it's nice to know you're getting an extra helping of omega-3s, one of the essential fatty acids we need to survive (and is sorely lacking in the Standard American Diet).
- Maple Syrup: This is the main sweetener of this recipe. In addition to bringing the sweetness, maple syrup also contains more antioxidants & minerals than your typical refined sugars. This makes this a healthier choice (though make sure not to overdo it and start drinking this out of the jug, as it still contains a hefty amount of sugar)
Tips
- Don't skip coating the balls with granulated sugar before applying the powdered sugar. The granulated sugar will help stop the powdered sugar from being absorbed into the batter. And keeping the powdered sugar coating on the surface is important for giving these cookies their signature look.
- You may find that the batter sticks to your palms over time as you roll the balls. This is fine, they're supposed to be mildly sticky since they're supposed to be moist. If you find that at some point there's too much batter stuck to your hands, give them a good wash and continue.
- If you find the batter way too sticky to handle, resist the temptation to add more dry ingredients. This can turn the cookies into a dry mess that no one will want to eat. I'd recommend sticking it in the fridge for a few more hours and seeing if that helps before starting over.
Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls medium-sized
- Baking Tray (may need 2 depending on size)
- Silicone Baking Sheet (may need 2 depending on size of baking tray)
- Plastic Wrap or reusable wrap
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup pure cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep the flax eggs by mixing the 2 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoon of water in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in one of the bowls.
- In the other bowl, mix the flax eggs, avocado oil, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract (i.e. the wet ingredients)
- Pour the mixed wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until a batter is formed.
- Cover the bowl containing the batter with plastic wrap (or reusable wrap) and chill in the fridge for 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Take the batter and roll into balls (about 1½ tablespoon per ball).
- Roll each ball into the granulated sugar until well-covered. Then roll the ball into the powdered sugar until well-covered. Be generous here!
- Place onto the baking sheet. Do not press or flatten the balls, they need to be round when going into the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes and take out of the oven. Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
- You likely aren't gonna use the entire amount of granulated sugar & powdered sugar when coating your cookies. Store these in a separate container and use them for another recipe in the future! Or use them again when you inevitably make another batch of these delicious chocolate crinkle cookies :-)
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