These Easy Chocolate Crackle Cookies are pretty but also delicious! They're soft and chewy with rich chocolate flavor on the inside plus crispy edges with the dusting of powdered sugar on the outside.
Originally posted January 2013, updated November 2023
I'm gonna tell you a funny little story of how I ended up making these Easy Chocolate Crackle Cookies. I've told you before about my little man Asher and the trouble he gets into (like stealing cupcakes!).
Well, a couple of weeks ago, I caught him up on the bar, where he had scooped who-knows-how-much Nesquik powdered chocolate milk mix into my canister of sugar. It was full at the time. Of nearly 10 pounds of sugar.
Then he stirred. Which means it was impossible to get the chocolate out.
Instead of throwing out the sugar, I transferred it to a new bowl and determined that we'd just use it up in any recipe that could tolerate a touch of chocolate in the sugar.
Oatmeal cookies... with a touch of chocolate? Sure! Sugar in your coffee? How about a little chocolate flavor too? Yep!
It was a good plan, but it seemed it was going to take forever to use up the chocolate sugar... that's what we started calling it!
Then I volunteered to make cookies for a 4-H Fundraiser. It didn't matter what kind... as long as I could come up with a lot of them!
That's when the light bulb went off in my head! I needed to find a chocolate cookie recipe!! And use up all that chocolate sugar!
And that's where these cookies come in! I found this recipe over on Food.com and I have to tell you - these cookies are scrumptious! I doubled the recipe and made a name change (because I like the word "crackle") and it still worked perfectly!
They are soft and not-too-sweet and they taste almost like a brownie... in a cookie shape! So, so good! Also try my Hot Chocolate Cookies (they're stuffed with marshmallows!) for another delicious chocolate cookie recipe.
PS. I'm pretty sure if you make them with the required regular sugar, versus the "chocolate sugar" that I used, they'd still be just as delicious!
Yes, crinkle cookies can be frozen and they freeze well. Just note that the powdered sugar coating will not be as pretty after they're thawed. To freeze them, place them on a lined baking sheet (without touching) and freeze them until they're solid (about an hour). Then remove them and place them in a freezer-safe container with layers of parchment between the cookies. Freeze for up to 3 months. Set them out at room temperature in a single layer until completely thawed.
Here's the printable recipe! Enjoy!!
PrintRecipe
Easy Chocolate Crackle Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 dozen cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
- 2 ½ cups sugar (with or without a little Nesquick mixed in!)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat for about 3 minutes, until it’s very creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, until well-blended.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low until combined well. It will be a stiff dough.
- Roll the dough into 1” balls. Dip them into the powdered sugar and place on the cookie sheets about 2” apart.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes. Allow them to cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Eat them while they’re warm with a glass of milk!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
rosa parks
where does the vanilla come in???
AJ
These were so good!! I did this to “use up” a can of Nesquick but they’re so good and easy I would be tempted to buy Nesquick just to make these!
You absolutely need to warn people that the combo of Nesquick and butter, which I did first in the mixer- is so freaking good on its own that you may want to abort cookie baking! So now I’ve discovered the MADNESS of (essentially) Nesquick buttercream frosting thanks to this recipe!!
Feedback is I made them with only nesquick (no plain sugar) and unprocessed cacao rather than cocoa and they are still plenty sweet. They seemed dry at first but I put them in a container and they are now soft and extremely good. Thanks for discovering this!!
Maya Kamau
Amazing recipe! My family ate them all up for Thanksgiving! Thanks so much!