It’s been quite some time since I shared a good cookie recipe… not for lack of baking! But because I’ve definitely been on a bit of a pie and layer cake kick. But these chewy chocolate brownie crinkle cookies have long been a favorite, and I finally whipped up a batch in order to get a better picture! (I’m trying to offer you better images in my general efforts to improve things around these parts).

Of course, I also made them because they are chocolatey and easy and you can make the dough with basically no preparation or equipment, which is convenient. Since they’re made with vegetable oil rather than butter, you don’t even have to bother with planning ahead for room temperature ingredients! Though, they do require a bit of chill time in the fridge. So, it’s a timing trade off. But at least you have delicious batter to snack on immediately if you feel so inclined! Always a plus.

This recipe comes (with some minor adaptations for simplicity) from Cookie Love – an excellent specialty cookbook that I picked up a number of years ago. Chef and author Mindy Segal has a lot of interesting flavor combinations (with moderately obnoxious ingredient lists) that I do still want to try at some point: salted shortbread with vanilla halva, for example, or lemon goat-butter tea cakes, or raspberry rose rugelach… However, these brownie cookies are simple and delightful and come together pretty quickly aside from the chill time.

They really are like a little bit of brownie in cookie form – chewy, chocolatey, and rich. So if you want a somewhat more portable and portionable version of a brownie, these are a great option. The powdered sugar means they’re messy, of course, but they’re good enough to overlook that drawback.

Ingredients are listed in the order they appear in the recipe and anything that requires prep is in bold. Ingredients are bolded in the directions when you first encounter them and the quantity required is included. Any important time estimates are bolded and italicized. I also include notes about any special equipment required.

Chewy Chocolate Brownie Crinkle Cookies

(barely adapted from Cookie Love)

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped and then melted
• 1 3/4 cups (275 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon regular salt)
• 1/2 cup (105 grams) vegetable, canola, or other neutral oil
• 1 3/4 cups (390 grams) granulated sugar 
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered/confectioners sugar – for coating

Required equipment: nothing special. You can make this recipe without a mixer, it’s just easier with one. Similarly, a cookie scoop makes life easier but isn’t strictly necessary. Other than that, you just need a couple of bowls and some cookie sheets.

Prep work: chop your 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate and then melt it in a small saucepan over low heat, or in a double boiler, or in the microwave (if you’re feeling daring). Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar and 1/2 cup vegetable oil on low speed until thoroughly combined (about 1 minute). You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon, it just takes a bit of elbow grease. Once your sugar and oil are well mixed, add the melted chocolate and mix to combine (about 30 seconds). 

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to shake things loose and ensure everything gets well mixed. Then, with the mixer on medium speed, add the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing briefly to incorporate before adding the next. Scrape the sides and bottom again, add the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 30 seconds). 

Add the flour mixture, then mix until the dough comes together but still looks shaggy – 30 seconds or so. (Tip: if you drape a kitchen towel over your mixer while you do this, it’ll contain the cloud of flour and cocoa powder that wants to make a mess all over your countertop).  Do not overmix, but do make sure you get the ingredients fully combined with no lumps or dry bits. You can use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to bring the dough together.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and then refrigerate until the dough is firm – around 30 minutes or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake: heat the oven to 350° F and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Parchment will give your cookies just a bit of a crust on the bottom, while silicone baking sheets will leave them softer all the way through. (This is true of most cookie recipes, not just this one).

Put approximately 1 cup of powdered/confectioners sugar in a bowl or shallow dish. Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop (or just a heaping tablespoon), portion the dough into balls and roll each one in the powdered sugar to coat. Aim for a generous coating, you want these to be little puffy pillows of sugar that look like delicious snowballs!

Space the balls of dough an inch or so apart on your cookie sheet – they will spread out when baked. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 3-4 minutes. The cookies will form crinkles across the tops and will set in the middle. They won’t look totally cooked (you don’t want to overbake them), but they also won’t look raw.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for two minutes or so before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough on a cool cookie sheet. 

Cookies will keep for 3 days at room temperature before getting a bit tired. The dough can be refrigerated for up to a week if you want to keep your cookie supply fresh by breaking up the baking!

_{Disclaimer: in the hopes of some (far off) day being able to quit my day job, this post contains affiliate links. Unless otherwise noted, I only link to things I actually recommend, and I might earn a commission if you end up buying something. That would be cool, but no worries if it’s not your thing.}