Fabulous Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate crinkles are the holiday cookie that puts on a show: each ball of dough rolls in powdered sugar, then puffs and cracks in the oven, leaving deep dark chocolate canyons running through a snowy white surface. The look is half the fun, but the texture is what keeps them in heavy rotation. Crisp edges, fudgy almost brownie-like centers, and a deep cocoa flavor from a generous four ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate.

Vegetable oil instead of butter is the smart move here. Oil keeps the dough soft and the centers chewy long after baking, where butter cookies can dry out within a day or two.

Don’t skip the chill. Chilling the dough is what creates the crackle, the cold dough sets up firm, and as the outside bakes faster than the center, the powdered-sugar shell splits open over the still-spreading interior.

Pro Tips

• Chill the dough overnight if possible. Several hours minimum, but overnight produces deeper, more dramatic cracks.
• Roll the dough balls heavily in powdered sugar, more than feels right. The thick coat is what creates that bright white contrast against the chocolate.
• Don’t overbake. Pull at 10 minutes even if the centers look underdone. They firm up as they cool, and overbaking kills the fudgy texture.
• Use unsweetened chocolate, not bittersweet or semi-sweet. The recipe is balanced for the bitterness; substituting throws the sugar ratio off.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dough. Coffee deepens chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee.
• Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before the powdered sugar layer. The double coat gives a slightly thicker, snappier crust.
• Stir in a half cup of chocolate chips for pockets of melty chocolate inside each cookie.