Fudgy Mocha Crinkle Cookies

These mocha crinkle cookies are chewy, fudgy, and have a toasty pop of espresso! 100% decadent. Even better, they’re amazing with chocolate hazelnut spread or buttercream for crinkle cookie sandwiches. Make sure to add gorgeous cookies to your baking list for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and Christmas get-togethers!

We all have an “ex-boyfriend recipe”, right?

That is, a recipe gifted by a boyfriend’s mom/grandma/aunt/brother-in-law’s cousin that was better than the relationship itself?

Well, here’s mine. Many years ago, when I was in high school, I first tasted these crinkle cookies by my then-boyfriend’s grandma and she was kind of enough to pass along the recipe. And while that relationship was abandoned in 2013, the recipe was not. Now, they’re one of my Christmas cookie exchange staples along with cardamom gingerbread cookies and chewy molasses crinkle cookies!

A classic holiday cookie

Over the 12+ years of making these cookies, I’ve tweaked and adjusted them based on my tastes and some tips I learned in pastry school. First of all, I added coffee because, well, it’s kind of my thing. I’ve also tested the recipe with all kinds of chocolate for the fudgiest, crinkliest cookie I could muster. They are absolutely amazing. Like, I probably won’t even share these with Santa (unless he brings me a ten-piece Staub set, of course). 🤷‍♀️

• The cookie dough is easy and comes together in minutes.
• They’re chewy, fudgy, and perfect on their own or as cookie sandwiches.
• Make them for cookie boxes, cookie exchanges, or holiday parties!
• Freeze some for later and enjoy crinkle cookies year-round.

Ingredient notes

• Chocolate – feel free to use either chocolate chips or chopped chocolate! Go with semi-sweet or dark chocolate so the cookies aren’t too sweet. You can also use milk chocolate for a sweeter cookie.
• Flour – just a bit of all-purpose flour will give the dough stability (while making sure the cookies stay nice and fudgy!).
• Baking powder – a lot of cookie recipes use baking soda, but in this recipe we’ll use powder to help the cookies puff up and thicken.
• Salt – I like Morton’s Kosher salt. Just a pinch to offset the sweetness a bit!
• Espresso powder – using instant espresso or instant coffee will add lots of coffee flavor without adding too much liquid. Make sure to pick something high-quality for the best flavor.
• Sugar – regular white sugar will add sweetness and keep the cookies soft and chewy.
• Neutral oil – I like using oil in these cookies because it makes them super moist and fudgy. I usually go with canola oil.
• Eggs – a couple of eggs will bind the dough and help the cookies puff up and spread.
• Vanilla extract – just for a pop of extra flavor! Make sure it’s 100% pure vanilla.
• Powdered sugar – for rolling and creating those beautiful crackles.
• Chocolate hazelnut spread – if you want to make cookie sandwiches! Totally optional but delicious. Nutella or any similar spread will work.

How to make this recipe

Crinkle cookies

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and instant espresso powder. Set aside.
2. Next, melt the chocolate in a large mixing bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Then, add the sugar and oil. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.

4. Add the flour mixture and stir just until the dough forms. It will be a thick, loose dough.
5. Then, cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
6. Once the dough is chilled, scoop the dough into balls.
7. Roll the balls in granulated sugar followed by powdered sugar.
8. Lastly, bake the cookies until they’re nice and crackly. Cool and enjoy!

Cookie sandwiches

Not that these cookies really needed any more decadence, but since I can’t leave a good thing alone, of course I had to try a sandwich version! They’re extra but they’re also ridiculously delicious.

1. Once the cookies are cooled, spread about 2 teaspoons of chocolate hazelnut spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies.
2. Top the bottom cookies with the other half of the crinkle cookies.
3. Gently press the cookies to sandwich them together. Enjoy!

Cookies not crinkling?

There are a few reasons the tops might not be crinkling. First off, the dough might be too cold. If the dough is super chilled, just let it warm for about 30 minutes. Or, it might be that you’re not using enough powdered sugar. You want the cookie dough balls to have a thick layer of powdered sugar so it dries out the surface of the dough and creates those pretty crackles!

Store & make-ahead cookies

To store leftover cookies, place them in an airtight container and let them sit at room temperature for up to 3 days. After a few days, they will start to lose their chew.

If you want to make the cookies in advance, you can bake them up to 2-3 days before serving. Or, refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours and bake the cookies when you’re ready to enjoy!

Freezing – 2 ways

You can either freeze the baked cookies or the cookie dough! Here’s how:

• Freeze the baked cookies – first, let them cool completely. Then, stack them in an airtight container or freezer bag in-between layers of parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Freeze the cookie dough – after the dough is chilled, scoop it into balls and freeze them on a parchment-lined sheet pan until they’re solid, 1-2 hours. Once they’re frozen, pop the frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Bake the frozen cookie dough – start by thawing the cookie dough balls for about 30-60 minutes at room temperature. Then, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar and powdered sugar and bake according to the recipe directions.

Keep the powdered sugar from turning yellow

Sometimes, the powdered sugar melts in the oven a bit and mixes with the chocolate dough which gives it a yellow-ish tint. This can also happen if you live in a humid place! To keep that powdered sugar bright white, we’ll use a little trick I learned in pastry school.

First, coat the cookie dough balls in a thin layer of granulated sugar and then roll the balls in a thick layer of powdered sugar. The granulated sugar will soak up any extra moisture and keep the powdered sugar from melting!

I always recommend measuring the ingredients with a scale for the best, most accurate cookies every time! But, if you are using cups, make sure you’re measuring the flour correctly. Start by fluffing the flour with a whisk and spoon the fluffed flour into the measuring cup. Then, level the flour off without packing it in.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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Originally posted on December 19, 2018.