These vegan crinkle cookies are rich, chewy and chocolaty on the inside, and covered with a delicate powdered sugar coating outside. They're fun to make and perfect for the holidays!
I always adored crinkle cookies when I was growing up, chocolate lover that I am. So I've been trying for ages to veganize them, but let me tell you, this recipe was a tough nut to crack!
Year after year I've been baking up imperfect batches of vegan crinkle cookies every holiday season. They were generally pretty delicious, but they weren't the crinkle cookies I loved as a kid. Every cookie was either too flat, or to crumbly, or the powdered sugar coating would sink into the cookie and ruin the whole crinkle effect. (That batch was so tasty that my husband encouraged me to share the recipe anyway and call them smooth cookies.)
I'm happy to say that I finally mastered this recipe. These crinkle cookies were perfect. Chocolatey and chewy and delicious...and just look at those crinkles!
I have a few tricks up my sleeve for getting them just right. Come along and I'll show you how!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that's unflavored and unsweetened. Almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk are all good options! You can check out my guide to dairy-free milk if you need help choosing one.
- Ground flaxseeds. We'll be mixing these with the non-dairy milk to create a flax egg, which is one of my favorite vegan egg substitutes for baking.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose wheat flour, also known as white flour. If you'd like to try the recipe with another type like whole wheat pastry or a gluten-free blend, do so at your own risk, as I haven't tested any of these varieties.
- Cornstarch.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Non-organic sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Vegetable oil. Feel free to use whatever type of oil you like to bake with. Corn oil, melted coconut oil, and canola oil will all work.
- Vanilla extract.
- Powdered sugar. This also needs to be organic.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by stirring your non-dairy milk and flaxseeds together in a small container. This will be your flax egg. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to gel. You can mix the dry ingredients in the meantime.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set it aside for a moment while you combine the wet ingredients.
Beat the sugar, cocoa powder, and oil together in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. The mixture will be very crumbly. That's fine!
Now add the flax egg and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture for about a minute, until it becomes smooth and glossy.
Start beating the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. Use low speed on your electric mixer and only add about a third of your dry ingredients at a time.
By the time you've added all the dry ingredients you should have created a thick cookie dough. Cover it tightly and chill it for at least 4 hours.
Tip: Tempting as it may seem, don't skip the step of chilling your cookie dough! Chilling is important to give your cookies structure, and without it they'll end up flat and sad looking.
Once your dough has finished chilling, you're ready to make the cookies. Roll the dough into balls. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to measure and get them nice and round. Then roll each ball in granulated sugar followed by powdered sugar. Place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven to bake!
Tip: Rolling the cookies in granulated sugar first will prevent the powdered sugar from sinking into them after they're baked. It's an important step to achieving that classic crinkly appearance!
Place the baking sheets on cooling racks and let the cookies cool for at least a few minutes, until they're fully set. At that point you can transfer them directly to the racks to finish cooling. Feel free to sneak a taste while they're still warm — it'll be extra soft and a little gooey!
Shelf-Life & Storage
Vegan chocolate crinkle cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week, or in the freezer for about 2 months.
More Vegan Holiday Cookies
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups organic granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Coating
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
Instructions
- Stir the non-dairy milk and ground flaxseed together in a small container, such as a liquid measuring cup. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes while you combine the dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, place the sugar, cocoa, and oil. Use an electric mixer to beat the ingredients together at high-speed, just until fully combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Add the flax mixture to the bowl with the sugar mixture, along with the vanilla extract. Beat the ingredients together at high-speed until the mixture is smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.
- Begin adding the flour mixture to the bowl with the sugar mixture, adding about a third at a time and beating each addition in at low speed before adding more.
- Once the ingredients are combined, cover the bowl tightly with plastic and refrigerate the dough for at least four hours. (Note 1)
- One the dough has finished chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the granulated sugar for the coating in one bowl, and place the powdered sugar in another bowl.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, using about a tablespoon of dough per ball. Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar, followed by the powdered sugar, coating it completely and then placing it on a baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches of space between dough balls. (Note 2)
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they've puffed up and the powdered sugar coating has cracks in it.
- Place the baking sheets on cooling racks until the cookies are fully set. Once they're set you can remove the cookies from the baking sheets and transfer them directly to the racks to finish cooling. They will fall slightly as they cool.
- Serve.
Notes
- The dough can be chilled for up to 3 days.
- You'll probably need to bake the cookies in a few batches. Be sure to return the bowl of dough to the fridge between batches to prevent the dough from warming up too much.
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Can I use GF flour, as I can't use gluten, to make these cookies? They look sooo good!!!
I haven't tried them with gluten-free flour so I'm not sure. If you'd like to give it a try I think an all-purpose gluten-free blend would be your best bet!