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Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies are the best of both chocolate and gingerbread crinkle cookies in one. They’re rich with chocolate with the surprise of homemade gingerbread spice.

At first, I planned on making a chocolate peanut butter cookie. But then I remembered I had one on the blog already. I had a gingerbread spice mix some a spice company. And I loved it so much I thought I’d order some more. But I didn’t see it on their website. Man was I disappointed. I wanted that delicious gingerbread spice mix for my holiday baking!

What’s a food blogger to do? Make my own gingerbread spice mix. I set out to research traditional gingerbread spice mixes out there already. Most had similar ingredients to apple pie spice and pumpkin spice. But this gingerbread spice mix really had a different flavor than those. Even if I added a little more ginger to either of those, it just wasn’t enough. I had to make my own.

I talked about what’s in gingerbread spice in my gingerbread oatmeal cookies post. So, I won’t go there again. I’ll just say that it’s my new favorite spice mix that I hope to share on the blog soon. And it makes me want to make ALL THE GINGERBREAD THINGS! Hence the three ginger(bread) recipes recently.

What are crinkle cookies?

Crinkle cookies are made from a rich dough rolled in powdered sugar and baked. They can be chocolate, gingerbread, lemon, strawberry. Pretty much any flavor you really want. What makes them crinkled is the way the cookies expand and crack as they bake. The powdered sugar makes them look cracked or crinkled.

The powdered sugar also makes the cookies crinkle. It forms a hard shell on the outside of the cookie forcing it to crack open as it bakes. The powdered sugar makes them pretty and makes them crinkle. Baking is a science and sometimes it’s really fun to learn about.

Who created crinkle cookies?

Everyone tells pretty much the same story. A woman by the name of Helen Fredell supposedly created the cookies. The book Cookie Carnival by Betty Crocker tells the story of Crocker being served these cookies while visiting with Ms. Fredell. The story goes on to explain that Betty Crocker begged for the recipe and finally convinced Helen to give up the recipe.

That’s all well and good, but Betty Crocker wasn’t a real person. Betty Crocker was a fictional character created for the advertising campaign for the company. I mean, eventually they had to put a person with the name, but that wasn’t the name of the voice on the radio show. And it wasn’t the name of the actress that played Betty Crocker on TV shows.

How do you make chocolate gingerbread crinkle cookies?

Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies start out like a standard cookie recipe. The sugar and butter is beaten together until light and fluffy. Then eggs, vanilla, and molasses are added to the mixture. The flour, gingerbread spice, and salt are stirred together. Then the dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients and stir until combined..

The dough gets rolled out and then it has to chill. This part prevents the Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies from spreading too much when they bake. Crinkle cookies should be tall and round and not flat. They should be fudgy, rich, and delicious. And that’s achieved by chilling the cookies at least 2 hours before baking. Some even suggest baking the cookies on a cold baking sheet to make sure they don’t spread when baking.

A trick I learned after the fact is to roll the Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies in granulated sugar before the powdered sugar. This prevents the powdered sugar from melting. That will give you that powdery white outside and dark and fudgy inside. I thought about making them again and trying that, but eggs are too expensive right now if you can get them all. That’s a whole other post, though.

The cookies are done when they’re cracked. But it’s not just that. They should be crinkled on the outside and barely set in the middle. I touched one on top and it felt barely set but not still so soft I could put my finger in the middle. That’s when I pulled them out and let them cool.

What do chocolate gingerbread crinkle cookies taste like?

The sugar forms a crisp outside. The cookies are tender and rich inside. You taste the chocolate at first, but then the gingerbread spice comes out. It’s a surprise because the color doesn’t indicate that they’re gingerbread at all. They’re chocolate packed with spice. Just a delicious combination of the two cookies.

It’s not like a Mexican chocolate type of spice flavor. Though you could totally go for that with just cinnamon and skip the gingerbread spice. I like the depth of flavor the spice mix adds to the chocolate. It really does bring out the flavor of the cocoa powder in these cookies.

Chocolate Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies are not as complicated to make as they seem. They’re more fun than anything because you get to make a total mess with the powdered sugar. Feel free to get the kids into the kitchen to help you make them. Little hands can roll the dough and have fun rolling them in the powdered sugar.

And since they are simple, and look so pretty, they’re perfect for a cookie swap. When people taste the cookies, they’re definitely going to ask for the recipe. It’s a different take on the chocolate crinkle. And a different take on a gingerbread crinkle. They’re the best of both cookies into one.

Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes

• Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Coconut Almond Cookies from Magical Ingredients
• Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Embossed Gingerbread Cookies from Inger Wilkerson
• Stained Glass Window Cookies from That Recipe
• Tropical Breeze Cookies from Palatable Pastime

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