These vegan chocolate crinkle cookies are rich, fudgy and chewy, with soft, brownie-like centres and a crisp, crackled sugar crust.
With their snowy, eye-catching appearance, these delicious cookies are the perfect festive treat for Christmas.
What Are Crinkle Cookies?
Crinkle cookies, also known as crackle cookies, are soft, cakey cookies with a fudgy, brownie-like center. They are rolled in icing/powdered sugar before baking to create the distinctive, crinkled surface. As the cookie bakes and spreads, the powdered sugar coating cracks and ripples, leaving behind a white "crinkled" crust that contrasts with the rich, dark cookie inside.
They are a popular holiday cookie in America and can be made in various other flavors, not just chocolate.
These vegan chocolate crinkle cookies are made without the usual eggs but are just as rich, fudgy and satisfying as the originals.
Ingredient Details:
Cocoa powder: You need to use Dutch processed cocoa powder, not natural/cacao. In the UK that is usually just regular supermarket cocoa.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Oil: Unlike most cookie recipes, these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies are made with oil rather than butter which helps to make them really moist and fudgy. I use olive oil but any neutral flavoured oil that is liquid at room temperature (i.e. NOT coconut oil) will work fine.
Sugar: You will need both caster or graulated sugar for the dough, and icing (powdered/confectioners) sugar for rolling the cookies in.
Milk: This replaces the moisture that usually comes from egg. I recommend soya milk as it has the highest protein content, though any other unsweetened non-dairy milk (except tinned coconut) should work ok.
Baking powder: Needed to make the cookies rise and form the crackle crust.
Instant espresso powder: This is optional but I like to add some to intensify the chocolate flavour, it does not make the cookies taste like coffee, but as these are fairly sweet cookies, a bit of extra bitterness is welcome.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Whisk together the cocoa powder, caster sugar, oil, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Step 2: Mix in the baking powder, salt and espresso powder, followed by the flour. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Step 3: Roll the dough into 16 balls, about a heaped Tablespoon each. Roll each ball in a light coating of caster sugar.
- Step 4: Once the dough balls have been coated in caster sugar, roll them in icing/powdered sugar, making sure that they are generously coated.
- Step 5: Place them spaced apart on two lined baking sheets.
- Step 6: Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Don't skip the chilling time, the dough is very sticky before it is chilled and you will struggle to roll it into balls.
Rolling the cookies in caster/granulated sugar before the icing/powdered sugar helps the cookies to retain a better coating of sugar that doesn't go discoloured and see-through but you can absolutely skip this step if you prefer and just roll them in the icing sugar.
Only coat the cookies in the sugar when you are ready to bake them otherwise they will absorb it.
Make sure that the dough balls are fully coated in a thick layer of sugar, if it is too thin you won't get that satisfying crust.
FAQ's:
Store the baked crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for around 4-5 days.
To freeze before baking:
Freeze the unbaked balls of dough without the sugar coating on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the dough balls thaw for a few minutes at room temperature while you pre-heat the oven, then roll them in the sugar and bake. You may need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
To freeze the baked cookies:
Arrange the cookies in layers in a freezer proof container with parchment paper between each layer. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen cookies at room temperature.
The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don't shape and coat the cookies in the sugar until you are ready to bake them however.
You can try adding in a teaspoon of peppermint or orange extract for a different flavour twist!
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook, and subscribe via email to get all our latest recipes!
All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full, instead include a link to this post for the recipe.
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 65 g (¾ cup) cocoa powder
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 55 g (¼ cup) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 140 g (1 cup + 2 ½ Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
For Coating:
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 50 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together the cocoa powder, caster or granulated sugar, oil, milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth.65 g (¾ cup) cocoa powder, 150 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 55 g (¼ cup) neutral oil (I use olive), 80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the baking powder, salt and espresso powder, followed by the flour. Stir until no dry lumps remain, the dough should resemble a thick brownie batter.1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 140 g (1 cup + 2 ½ Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably 4.
- Preheat the oven to 190℃/170℃ fan/375℉/gas mark 5. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Place the caster/graulated sugar in one small bowl, and the icing/powdered sugar in another.50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 50 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- Divide the chilled dough into 16 portions, about a heaped Tablespoon each, and roll them into balls.
- Roll the balls first in the caster/granulated sugar, giving them a light coating, and then in the icing/powdered sugar, making sure that they have a thick, even coating.
- Place the cookies spaced apart on the lined baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until firm around the edges but still slightly wet looking in the centre.
- If you prefer flatter cookies, bash the baking sheets on the counter as you take them out of the oven, this will deflate the cookies slightly.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, make ahead and freezing instructions and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Tamar
What an amazing recipe. As beautiful as they are delicious. ❣️
Anna
Divine!