These Chocolate Crinkles Are a Timeless Easy Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the crinkle effect on cookies? ›

The part that makes this a 'crinkle' cookie is the generous coating of powdered sugar that the cookie dough ball gets before going into the oven. As it bakes and spreads on the baking sheet, cracks develop and are exposed, giving the perfect crackle cookie.

Why didn't my chocolate crinkle cookies crack? The most common reason for cookies that don't crack is either that the oven was not hot enough or the baking powder was expired.

The signature crinkle effect happens when the cookies spread and crack as they bake. If your cookies aren't crinkling, it might be because the dough is too warm (try chilling it for longer before baking), or the oven temperature might be too low (ensure your oven is correctly preheated).

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

If there is too much baking powder or baking soda in the dough, the cookies will rise too much when baking, creating a cakier structure. Eggs also promote a cakey structure in cookies. Solution: Reduce the amount of baking powder or baking soda slightly.

Q: Why are my cookies not crisp enough? They are underbaked. Lower your oven temperature and bake longer but at a lower temperature. Using too much flour or the wrong kind of flour.

It's also helpful to bake these cookies on dry days. Any humidity in the air will soak into the confectioners' sugar, slightly melting it. Sometimes you can't avoid humidity, but if you're wondering why the sugar melts, it could be the weather. Again, go heavy on that confectioners' sugar layer.

Why are my crinkle cookies flat? Flat cookies are often the result of too little flour or butter that's too soft. In the case of crinkle cookies, if you don't let the dough firm up in the fridge before scooping and rolling, they'll spread too much in the oven and lose their domed crackled topping.

Most cookies are soft and flexible, so the dough evenly expands as the cookies bake. In crinkle cookies, however, the powdered sugar dries out in the oven, creating a hard outer shell that is not flexible. As the cookie expands, it cracks the rigid powdered sugar, producing an attractive crinkly, cracked exterior.

Who invented crinkles? ›

Crinkle cookies have been around since the early 1950s and were initially made with chocolate. Helen Fredell invented crinkle cookies in St. Paul, Minnesota.

While we found that multiple factors can affect how quickly the top dries out and thus how many cracks are formed (including the temperature of the dough and how rapidly it spreads in the oven), a simple tweak turned out to be key to producing a maximum number of fissures: rolling the balls of dough in granulated sugar ...

To keep the crinkle look alive, twist the fabric in a rope once it's almost dry to emphasize the crinkle effect. The "rope" can be stored in your drawers with the rest of the clothes and can be untwisted when you are ready to wear the garment!

Butter contributes milk solids and water to a cookie, both of which soften it. Brown sugar contributes molasses – again, a softener. Using lower-moisture sugar (granulated) and fat (vegetable shortening), plus a longer, slower bake than normal, produces light, crunchy cookies.