These Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, also known as Tiger cookies, have a deep, rich chocolate flavor that are rolled in a generous amount of powdered sugar. And the best part—they taste just like fudgy brownies!



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Can you Freeze Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
Yes! When freezing chocolate crinkle cookies, you will want to roll the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined sheet to firm up, so they're nice and solid when you go to place them into a freezer bag (or a tightly sealed container).
Do not roll them in the powdered sugar before freezing them. You can do this right before you bake them.
When it does come time to bake them, do not bring them to room temperature. Just take them straight from the freezer, coat them with the powdered sugar, then bake, adding on for 1-2 minutes.
Do You Have to Chill the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Dough?
Yes, you will need to chill the dough before baking them, but only for an hour. You want the butter that is in the dough to spread out a little while you bake them.


How to Make Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Here is a brief overview of how to make this dark chocolate crinkle cookies recipe.
Combine the dry ingredients. This includes all-purpose flour, dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark), baking soda, and salt.
Mix the wet ingredients together. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this part. First, mix the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until it's nice a fluffy. Then you'll add in the egg and vanilla extract.
After this, slow down your mixer speed to add in the dry ingredients. The dough will be pretty thick.
Chill the cookie dough. Refrigerate covered for a minimum of 1 hour. I've kept it in the fridge overnight too.
Scoop, roll, and bake. I used a 1-tablespoon size cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough. Your hands will become dark because of the cocoa powder. I suggest scooping out all cookie dough balls before rolling them in the powdered sugar.
You'll need about 1 cup of powdered sugar to roll the cookie dough balls in. Make sure to coat them generously too! Some of that will come off or melt, but the rest should stay on.
You can also choose to use non-melting powdered sugar. I've used the King Arthur brand, and it works very well!
And if you like, you can opt to coat the cookies in granulated sugar first before coating them in powdered sugar.


More Holiday Cookies from Beyond the Butter to Enjoy!
📖 Recipe

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Author:Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (for rolling the cookie dough balls in)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dark cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 cup All-Purpose Flour, ½ cup Dark Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Using your hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until nice and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).½ cup Unsalted Butter, ½ cup Granulated Sugar, ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 Large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Switching the mixer speed to low, add in the whisked dry ingredients a little at a time until fully blended. The dough will be very thick.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for a minimum hour. If you choose to refrigerate it over night, make sure to let it sit out at room temp for about 10-15 minutes prior to baking.
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Fill a bowl with the powdered sugar which you'll use to roll the balls of dough in.1 cup Powdered Sugar
- With a 1 tablespoon-size cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop the cookie dough and roll it into 1 inch balls, then coat it heavily in the powdered sugar.
- Place cookies about 1 ½ inches apart on the cookie sheet. Repeat until the sheet is full.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF (mine needed 10 minutes), then remove and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They fall apart easily when still warm so be careful when moving them. You may want to have a paper towel or sheet of wax paper to catch the powdered sugar that will fall off from you cookie.
- The cookies will sink a little as they cool...this is totally fine.
- If you find that your cookies didn't flatten out enough to your liking, lightly press down on the cookie with the bottom of the glass.
Video
Recipe Notes
- I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder for the dark cocoa powder.
- I recommend using non-melting powdered sugar, like the King Arthur Brand!
- I recommend scooping out all the cookie dough balls first, then rolling them in the powdered sugar. It makes it a little less messy.
- Recipe adapted from Hershey's and Sally's Baking Addiction.
Nutrition
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
This recipe was originally published on December 12, 2018. It has been updated with new images, content, and tips.

Julie Fragnito says
These are delicious cookies! Absolutely perfect for the holiday season. Follow the timing exactly ! It’s hard to tell when a dark cookie is “done” - perfect recipe. Will be making these often.
Jennifer says
Thank you again for making them, Julie! And for sharing a pic of them on Insta!
Molly says
Do you think I can make these with dairy free butter?
Jennifer says
I didn't test them this way, but I think it would be fine. If you do try it, let me know how they turn out!
Tee says
Can these be made with regular cocoa powder?
Jennifer says
Yes, but the flavor will be a little different and they won't be as dark.