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    Milk and Pop » Recipes » Cookies

    Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies (Earthquake Cookies)

    Published: Nov 10, 2020 · Modified: Oct 18, 2023 by Tatiana Kamakura · 9 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Pin it Share

    Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies are a delicious twist of a classic! Full of dark chocolate, with a touch of spiciness and an decadent fudgy interior, these cookies are a Christmas delight.

    Baked chocolate crinkle cookies.
    Jump to:
    • 🍪Why bake these cookies
    • 🍫Ingredients and substitutions
    • 🍭Flavor variations
    • 🥣How to make them
    • 🍪How to know when these cookies are done baking
    • ✔️Expert tips
    • 🙋🏻‍♀️Questions you might have
    • ❄️Storing and freezing
    • 🎄More Christmas recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Looking for more delicious treats to bake for Christmas? My pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe is a must bake with the kids! Searching for a gluten-free cookie recipe for a loved one? Condensed milk sequilhos are a version of shortbread with no egg or all-purpose flour in it.

    🍪Why bake these cookies

    Chocolate crinkle cookies, sometimes known as earthquake cookies thanks to the beautiful crinkles, are a Christmas staple! This foolproof recipe will give you a delicious cookie that's perfect to bake if:

    • You’re looking for a fun recipe to bake with your kids - they're as fun to bake as my chocolate chip peanut cookies!
    • A thick and fudgy cookie is your goal;
    • You're craving a deep chocolate taste. These crinkle cookies are like my Nutella cinnamon rolls: full of chocolate goodness!

    🍫Ingredients and substitutions

    Flour. Use all-purpose flour. I’ve never tried with any other flour, but if you have, let me know in the comments!

    Cocoa powder. For these cookies, it is best to use Dutch cocoa instead of natural cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa makes deep-flavored, darker chocolate crinkle cookies.

    Milk Powder. It helps to bring out all the flavors of these cookies. I love using milk powder when baking: this ingredients is the secret of my famous eggless chocolate chip cookies.

    Packed brown sugar. You can choose light or dark brown sugar. Don’t substitute for white sugar.

    Espresso powder. A bit of expresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor. You can substitute for instant coffee. Use decaf for a caffeine-free version.

    Chocolate. I prefer to use dark or semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe. Milk chocolate will make a sweeter cookie, but if that's what you're aiming for, go for it!

    Icing sugar. Use this for the second coating. It's what makes these cookies extra-white on the outside!

    🍭Flavor variations

    Let me give you some suggestions for baking a crinkle cookies that’s just perfect for you:

    • Chocolate Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies: substitute ginger with cinnamon.
    • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: omit ginger powder.
    • Triple Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: add half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough. If when it comes to chocolate, the more the merrier, you should check out my oh-so-decadent double chocolate almond cookies!

    🥣How to make them

    Making the dough:

    How to make the dough of crinkle cookies: melted butter with chocolate, a bowl with flour and cocoa, a bowl with eggs, sugar and espresso powder.

    Step 1. Melt chocolate and butter, using a microwave or a stovetop. When using the first, I microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then do it for another 15 to 30 seconds, and then stir until everything is melted. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

    Step 2. Mix flour, milk powder, unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon of ginger.

    Step 3. Mix brown sugar, eggs and espresso powder.

    Mixing sugar mixture with chocolate mixture, and mixing all ingredients of the recipe.

    Step 4. Add chocolate and butter mixture to sugar mixture, stirring just until combined.

    Step 5. Add flour mixture, stirring until combined. The dough will appear sticky, but it will set. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

    Tip: chilling the dough is the key to always getting thick cookies!

    Shaping and baking:

    Cookie dough balls coated in sugar, in icing sugar, and placed into a lined baking sheet.

    Step 6. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Coat into the granulated sugar, lightly.

    Step 7. Coat into the powder sugar, until every side is completely covered.

    Step 8. Place each ball 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, until they are puffed and cracked.

    Tip: for beautiful crinkle cookies, always use both granulated sugar and icing sugar for coating. Coat first with granulated sugar, then do it again with icing sugar. Coating the cookies in granulated sugar first helps to prevent the icing sugar from being absorbed into the dough as it bakes.

    A baking sheet full of baked chocolate crinkles.

    After baked, let crinkle cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.

    🍪How to know when these cookies are done baking

    These cookies are ready when the edges begin to set, but the center is still soft and shiny. They will look underdone in the middle - cracked but slightly shiny in the center. Don't worry: they will continue to bake outside the oven.

    While they're in the oven, be extra careful in the last couple of minutes: if you overbake these cookies, they won't be fudgy.

    ✔️Expert tips

    • There’s no need to press the cookie balls down before baking. Just make sure they’re well-shaped into round balls, and they will naturally bake into a cookie shape.
    • Always bake these cookies using the middle rack, and always preheat the oven!
    • Don’t overload your baking sheets. This dough spread. Place each ball about 2 inches apart from each other.
    • Chill the dough for 20 minutes. This will assure you'll get thick cookies. Also, keep the dough chilled while waiting between batches.

    🙋🏻‍♀️Questions you might have

    What is a crinkle cookie?

    A crinkle cookie, also called earthquake cookies, is a cookie named after its crinkle appearance. When they’re baking, these cookies expand and fall, making beautiful cracks, which is their most wanted characteristic.

    Why are my crinkle cookies spreading too much?

    You can get flat crinkle cookies if: the dough was not chilled, you added less flour that the recipe asked for, you forgot to preheat the oven.

    Why my crinkles did not crack?

    If your cookies did not crack during baking, check the expiration date of baking powder and soda. They both need to be used in this recipe, as both need to be reagent. It might also be a preheating problem: the oven need to be at the right temperature when the baking starts.

    ❄️Storing and freezing

    Store at room temperature, in an airtight container. They're good for about 7 days.

    You can also freeze chocolate crinkle cookies. If freezing after baking, wait for cookies to cool completely, then place them into a freezer safe bag, pushing all the air out before sealing shut. They’re good for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature.

    If freezing the dough, shape into balls but do not coat them into sugar. Coat only before baking.

    Chocolate crinkle cookies in a baking pan.

    🎄More Christmas recipes

    • apple crisp with eggnog sauce in a plate with spoon
      The Best Apple Crisp (Without Oats)
    • Nutella cinnamon roll, close up.
      Nutella Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
    • Almond chocolate cookies.
      Almond Chocolate Cookies
    • towers of pumpkin snickerdoodles, with two cinnamon sticks on top of a baking sheet
      Mini Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe

    If you tried this Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

    📖 Recipe

    baked chocolate crinkle cookies, close up on crinkle cracks

    Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies

    Tatiana Kamakura
    Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies are a delicious twist of a classic! Full of dark chocolate, with a touch of spiciness and an decadent fudgy interior, these cookies are a Christmas delight.
    4.96 from 25 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 11 minutes mins
    Additional Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 36 minutes mins
    Course Baked Goods
    Cuisine American
    Servings 18 cookies
    Calories 203 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Baking sheet

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened Dutch
    • 2 tablespoon milk powder
    • 1 teaspoon ginger powder plus ¼ teaspoon for coating
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅓ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
    • 2 eggs large
    • 2 teaspoon espresso powder
    • 3.5 ounces dark chocolate
    • 4 tablespoon butter unsalted
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • ⅓ cup icing sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Melt chocolate and butter, using a microwave or a stovetop. When using the first, I microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then do it for another 15 to 30 seconds, and then stir until everything is melted. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
    • Mix brown sugar, eggs and espresso powder. Use a large bowl. Set aside.
    • Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the sugar mixture, and stir until combined.
    • Mix flour, milk powder, unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon of ginger.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
    • Add flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. The dough will appear sticky, but it will set.
    • Adjust your oven rack to the middle position (or upper middle if yours doesn’t have an exact middle position). Preheat it to 350°F.
    • Add granulated sugar into a bowl, and icing sugar into another bowl. Add ¼ teaspoon of ginger powder into the icing sugar, whisking to combine.
    • Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough, rolling each into a ball using your hands.
    • Coat shaped cookies into the granulated sugar, lightly.
    • Coat then into the icing sugar, until every side is heavily covered.
    • Place each coated ball 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
    • Bake cookies at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, until they are puffed and cracked. They are ready when the edges begin to set, but the center is still soft and shiny. They will look underdone in the middle, but they will continue to bake outside the oven.
    • Let cookies cool into the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

    Video

    Notes

    Flavor Variations:
    • Chocolate Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies: substitute ginger with cinnamon.
    • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: omit ginger powder.
    • Triple Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: add half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough.
    There’s no need to press the cookie balls down before baking. Just make sure they’re well-shaped into round balls, and they will naturally bake into a cookie shape.
    Chill the dough for 20 minutes. This will assure you'll get thick cookies. Also, keep the dough chilled while waiting between batches.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookieCalories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 119mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 114IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous

      September 04, 2024 at 2:18 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious, I’ll be making this again!

      Reply
    2. Kate

      November 20, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      Many thanks for this recipe. I will try them for the Christmas season.

      Reply
      • Milk and Pop

        November 24, 2020 at 2:36 pm

        Hope you like them, Kate!

        Reply
    3. Debra

      November 16, 2020 at 7:25 am

      Loved the decadent, rich taste. The tip to chill the dough was super helpful....and I'm going to try making a batch and freezing the dough...would be super nice to just take it out and bake when my kids are home for Thanksgiving. They will love these.

      Reply
      • Milk and Pop

        November 18, 2020 at 9:10 am

        So glad you like it, Debra! Hope your kids love them! Cheers!

        Reply
    4. Peter

      March 31, 2020 at 4:49 pm

      FANTASTIC recipe for these crinkle cookies! I followed the steps exactly the first time I made them - easy peasy! And absolutely delicious. I may have made mine slightly too big so mine yielded 14 instead of 22 hahaha. My eyes were too big for my stomach. I'm gonna make them again this week because my partner and I loved them so much! We might play with the ingredient proportions a little bit just to try a new flavor though 🙂

      But yes, super easy to follow and yields absolutely delicious results.

      Reply
    5. Elsa Grobbelaar

      February 27, 2020 at 10:47 am

      Hi how much flour?

      Reply
      • Milk and Pop

        February 28, 2020 at 10:16 am

        1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, Elsa! 😀

        Reply
        • Elsa Grobbelaar

          March 09, 2020 at 11:07 pm

          Delicious. My new favorite biscuits!

          Reply
    4.96 from 25 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Tati! Here at Milk and Pop, I’m all about making sourdough simple, doable, and fun. Whether you’re just getting started or trying to bake more consistently, I’ll help you fit sourdough into your real life, one loaf at a time.

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