Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies are a festive take on a classic cookie. Dense with dark chocolate, brightened by a hint of ginger, and boasting a fudgy center with signature crinkled tops, these cookies are perfect for holiday baking.
If you enjoy holiday baking, try other favorites like pumpkin snickerdoodles for a kid-friendly project or condensed milk cornstarch cookies for a gluten-free shortbread alternative.
🍪 Why bake these cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies—sometimes called earthquake cookies for their beautiful cracks—are a Christmas cookie table essential. This reliable recipe yields thick, fudgy cookies with deep chocolate flavor and a touch of warming spice. Bake these when:
- You want a fun project to do with kids;
- You’re after a thick, fudgy cookie rather than a thin crisp;
- You crave rich chocolate with a hint of spice to balance the sweetness.
🍫 Ingredients and substitutions
Flour: all-purpose flour is called for. It produces the best texture for these cookies.
Cocoa powder: use Dutch-processed cocoa for a deeper, darker chocolate taste. Natural cocoa will work but yields a slightly different flavor and color.
Milk powder: optional but helpful for a rounder flavor and slightly more tender crumb.
Packed brown sugar: light or dark brown sugar is fine—do not substitute with only white sugar.
Espresso powder: enhances the chocolate flavor; instant coffee can be used as a substitute. For no caffeine, use decaf instant coffee.
Chocolate: dark or semi-sweet is preferred for balance. Milk chocolate will make a sweeter cookie if you prefer that.
Icing sugar: used for the final coating that creates the classic snowy crinkle look.
🍭 Flavor variations
Simple swaps let you tailor these crinkles:
- Chocolate Cinnamon Crinkles: replace the ginger with ground cinnamon.
- Plain Chocolate Crinkles: omit the ginger for a straightforward chocolate cookie.
- Triple Chocolate Crinkles: fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra pockets of melted chocolate.
🥣 How to make them
Making the dough:
Step 1. Melt the chocolate and butter together—either gently on the stovetop or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Step 2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, milk powder, Dutch cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon ginger.
Step 3. In a separate large bowl, beat the packed brown sugar, eggs, and espresso powder until combined.
Step 4. Stir the cooled chocolate-butter mixture into the sugar-egg mixture until evenly incorporated.
Step 5. Fold in the flour mixture just until combined. The dough will be sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm up.
Tip: Chilling the dough helps produce thick, fudgy cookies.
Shaping and baking:
Step 6. Scoop roughly 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a smooth ball. Lightly roll each ball in granulated sugar first.
Step 7. Then roll the sugar-coated balls in icing sugar mixed with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon ginger until fully covered.
Step 8. Arrange the coated balls about 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10–11 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked.
Tip: Coating the dough first in granulated sugar, then in icing sugar prevents the powdered sugar from being absorbed and helps create a bright, crinkled exterior.
After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
🍪 How to know when these cookies are done baking
The cookies are done when the edges are set but the centers remain soft and slightly shiny. They will look underbaked in the middle—that’s correct. They continue to set as they cool, preserving the fudgy interior. Avoid overbaking if you want them to stay tender.
✔️ Expert tips
- Don’t press the balls flat: well-rounded balls bake into nicely domed cookies on their own.
- Bake on the middle rack and always preheat the oven.
- Leave space between cookies: place each ball about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Keep dough chilled: refrigerate for 20 minutes before baking and keep it cool between batches for the best height and texture.
🙋🏻♀️ Questions you might have
A crinkle cookie, sometimes called an earthquake cookie, gets its name from the cracked surface that forms as the cookie expands and settles during baking. The cracked pattern is the hallmark of the style.
Excessive spreading can result from not chilling the dough, using less flour than the recipe calls for, or not preheating the oven. Ensuring correct ingredient ratios and a preheated oven helps prevent thin, flat cookies.
If cookies fail to crack, check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and that the oven was at the right temperature when the cookies went in. Both leaveners and proper heat help create the cracking effect.
❄️ Storing and freezing
Store cooled cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
To freeze baked cookies: cool completely, place in a freezer-safe bag or container, remove excess air, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
To freeze the dough: roll into balls but do not coat in sugar. Freeze on a tray, then transfer to a sealed bag. Coat with sugars just before baking.
🎄 More Christmas recipes
-
The Best Apple Crisp (Without Oats)
-
Nutella Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
-
Almond Chocolate Cookies
-
Mini Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
If you tried this Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies recipe, please leave a star rating and share how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Tatiana Kamakura
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder plus 1/4 tsp for coating
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 3.5 ounces dark chocolate
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
- 1/3 cup icing sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Melt chocolate and butter together, then let cool about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, eggs, and espresso powder.
- Stir the melted chocolate into the sugar-egg mixture until combined.
- Whisk together the flour, milk powder, Dutch cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon ginger.
- Add the dry mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the middle.
- Place granulated sugar in one bowl. In another bowl, combine icing sugar with 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into balls.
- Lightly roll each ball in granulated sugar, then roll in the icing sugar mixture until fully coated.
- Place balls 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet and bake 10–11 minutes, until puffed and cracked. The centers should still look slightly shiny.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Flavor variations:
- Swap ginger for cinnamon for a chocolate-cinnamon version.
- Omit ginger for a classic chocolate crinkle.
- Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chips for a triple chocolate cookie.
Tips: There’s no need to flatten the cookie balls. Keep dough chilled for thicker cookies and between batches.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie — Calories: 203 — Carbohydrates: 36 g — Protein: 3 g — Fat: 6 g
Let us know how it was!