Description
Delight in these fudgy and tender Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, featuring a crackled powdered sugar exterior and a rich chocolate center. Enhanced with a hint of Grand Marnier, these cookies are perfect for holiday gifting or any sweet craving, requiring simple ingredients and straightforward preparation.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coating Sugars
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioners sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside to prepare for baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your mixer, combine the softened butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar. Mix until the mixture is creamy and well combined, creating a smooth base for the dough.
- Add Eggs and Grand Marnier: Add the eggs one at a time to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition to ensure a light and fluffy batter. Then, stir in the Grand Marnier to lightly infuse the dough with a subtle orange flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. This ensures even distribution of the leavening and cocoa throughout the dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients Into Wet: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl. Mix just until combined to avoid overworking the dough, which can make the cookies tough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the dough to firm up.
- Prepare Rolling Sugars: Place the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup powdered sugar into separate shallow dishes. These will be used to coat the cookie dough balls for the classic crinkle effect.
- Form and Roll Cookies: Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball first in granulated sugar, then thoroughly coat with powdered sugar to create the signature cracked surface after baking.
- Arrange Cookies on Sheets: Transfer the sugar-coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart to allow room for spreading during baking. Each baking sheet should accommodate approximately 12 cookies.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. They are done when puffed up with cracked tops. If baking multiple sheets simultaneously, rotate the positions halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Cool Cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to set. Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential for best texture and ease of handling.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep cookies tender and soft.
- Grand Marnier can be substituted with orange extract or omitted if preferred.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Rolling cookies in both granulated and powdered sugar produces the classic crinkle crackle effect.
