Looking for a new holiday cookie recipe? Try these chocolate crinkle cookies! These are made with oil instead of butter, which a) helps you get a rich fudgy centers, b) helps make the pretty crackly powdered sugar look on the outside, c) saves money, and d) makes these cookies naturally dairy free. They’re a fun one to make with kids; my son likes rolling the dough balls in powdered sugar to help.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need:
Everything is a standard pantry ingredient, so there’s really no special ingredient notes to share for this recipe! The only thing to mention is that I use vegetable oil because it’s inexpensive and neutral in flavor, but you can use whatever liquid oil you prefer. Avocado oil is a good alternative neutral option.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Oil
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by mixing together the sugar, cocoa powder, and oil in a large bowl. Then add the eggs and the vanilla, and mix until everything is well combined.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. The dough will be soft and a little sticky, but you shouldn’t have to chill it (yay!).
Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop the dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon) and drop the balls of dough into the powdered sugar. Roll it until fully coated, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake ’em for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops have cracked. Let them cool on the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then move to a wire rack. I like enjoying these slightly warm. YUM!
Recipe Tips and Modifications
Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze cookies for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Don’t overbake: It’s tricky to tell when chocolate cookies are done since you can’t see them browning! Pull them when the edges are set and the tops don’t look super moist. Avoid overbaking as it can dry out the cookies.
Troubleshooting dough texture: The dough will be soft but will pack into a cookie scoop and be rollable in powdered sugar. Sometimes mismeasurements can lead to a dough that is too dry or too sticky. For example, this can happen if you use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients, or if you pack flour into the measuring cup rather than spooning and leveling the flour. If the dough is too dry, try adding another 1-2 tablespoons of oil. If too sticky, try adding another 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
Trouble with the crinkle look? I find that this recipe works really well and the powdered sugar does not dissolve into the cookie. Even making these a night in advance for an event, I found that they retained their crinkle look the next day. That said, slight differences in products or measurements could lead to different results. If you find that the crinkle look isn’t holding after baking, try another batch where you roll the balls in granulated sugar first then powdered sugar after. Bakers trick! (That said, I have never needed to do this for this particular recipe).
Allergens in this Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is dairy free and nut free.
This recipe does contain wheat/gluten (in the all-purpose flour) and eggs (in the eggs). It also contains soy oil – while highly refined soy oil isn’t technically labeled as an allergen, I know many people with soy allergies choose to avoid it, so noting that here.
Here are some suggested modifications if you can’t have one of these ingredients, but please note I have not tested all of these substitutions – they are simply based on what I would try if I was modifying the recipe based on past experience.
- To make wheat/gluten free: Use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour instead of the all-purpose flour. Since the recipe contains eggs to help with binding, I’d expect this swap to work.
- To make egg free: The eggs play a big role in the structure of these cookies, so this is a trickier swap. You could try two flax eggs (2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons of hot water, left to sit for 5 minutes until thick), but expect a denser, less crinkly cookie.
- To make soy-oil-free: Use avocado oil or another neutral oil.
More Dairy Free Chocolate Cookies
If you’re looking for more dairy free chocolate cookie recipes, here are a few of my favorites:
- Chocolate pumpkin crinkle cookies
- Chocolate peanut butter crinkle cookies
- Dairy free double chocolate peanut butter cookies
- Double chocolate olive oil cookies
I hope you enjoy these dairy free chocolate crinkle cookies! If you get a chance to make ’em, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Dairy Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, and oil. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
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In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. The dough will be soft but should not be overly sticky.
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Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop (or a heaping spoonful) to portion out the dough one at a time. Drop the ball of dough in the powdered sugar and roll until fully coated, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all the dough.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- The dough will be soft but will pack into a cookie scoop and be rollable in powdered sugar. Sometimes mismeasurements can lead to a dough that is too dry or too sticky. If too dry, try adding another 1-2 tablespoons of oil. If too sticky, try adding another 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
Nutrition analysis (approximate per cookie): 119 calories, 4.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 90 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 1.5 g protein, Vitamin D: 1%, Calcium: 2%, Iron: 4%, Potassium: 1%
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