Chocolate gingerbread-spiced crinkle cookies with dark chocolate centers and a contrasting snowy powdered-sugar crackle.
The revised portion size makes about 36 substantial cookies instead of tiny one-bite crinkles.
Roll each chilled portion in granulated sugar first and confectioners sugar second for a more distinct white finish.
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Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 10–12 minutes · 4 trays of about 18 small cookies
Allow 206 minutes: 30 hands-on, 120 chilling, about 36 for all baking trays and 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Heatproof bowl or small saucepan
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop (#40)
- Two 13 × 18-inch pans and parchment
- Sugar-coating bowl and cooling rack
- US measures and kitchen scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Coating
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt and cool
- Melt butter with chocolate gently, stirring until smooth. Cool to lukewarm before adding eggs.
Combine the dough
- Whisk sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices separately, then stir in until no dry pockets remain.
Make it scoopable
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm enough to portion. Soft batter-like dough firms during chilling; do not add extra flour.
Coat the small balls
- Heat to 325°F (165°C) conventional, or 300°F (150°C) fan. Make about 36 portions of 22–24 g each. Roll each portion first in granulated sugar, then generously in confectioners sugar. Place 2 inches apart on lined pans.
Open the cracks
- Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes until cracked with set edges; centers remain tender. Keep unused dough chilled and cool the pans between batches.
Protect the sugar finish
- Rest 5 minutes on the pan, then cool on a rack about 15 minutes. Seal airtight only once completely cold.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Allow the full chill
The melted chocolate dough is soft when first mixed and needs time to become scoopable.
Coat generously
Roll each chilled portion in granulated sugar first, then confectioners sugar. The first coating helps keep the white sugar finish from dissolving into the moist dough.
Keep them small
The timing is for 22–24 g portions. Bake a first tray before changing the scoop size.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | For the best white crust, freeze uncoated dough portions rather than finished coated cookies; condensation can soften the sugar finish. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- These are chocolate cookies with gingerbread spices and no molasses. Nutrition counts the full sugar-coating allowance although some remains in the bowl. Larger portions need different baking times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the fresh dough runny?
It contains melted chocolate and butter. Refrigeration firms it; do not correct it by adding extra flour.
Can I use a tablespoon scoop?
The stated 10–12-minute timing is for smaller teaspoon portions. Larger cookies need a separate doneness check.
Do they contain molasses?
No. They combine bittersweet chocolate with ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
