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Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies melt in your mouth with the rich, chocolatey flavors of hot cocoa and a light dusting of sweet powdered sugar. When I think of the perfect chocolate cookie, these immediately come to mind!

If you love cookies as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my best recipes. Here are just a few of my faves: Salty Sweet Kettle Corn Cookies, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and Fluffernutter Cookie Bars!

Ingredients for Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

  • Unsalted Butter – Don’t use salted! This recipe calls for a pinch of salt already, and you don’t want to overdo it
  • Flour – Any brand will do, as long as it’s unbleached and all purpose
  • Baking Powder – Be careful, too much of this will harden the cookies
  • Kosher Salt – Sea salt also works 
  • Cocoa Powder – Only use unsweetened! The sugars will provide enough sweetness for the cookies
  • Hot Chocolate Mix – Feel free to use or leave out the mini marshmallows – it’s up to you!
  • Sugar – Would any cookie recipe be complete without it?
  • Brown Sugar – All out of brown sugar? Make your own by combining equal parts molasses and white sugar
  • Eggs – They can be any color, as long as they’re large, they’ll work
  • Vanilla Extract – Just a dash adds the perfect amount of sweetness
  • Powdered Sugar – My FAVORITE part of the whole recipe!

How to make the BEST Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

This chocolate cookie recipe is so easy to follow! Just use these step by step instructions, and you’ll soon be falling in love with your new favorite cookie. 

  • Prepare the butter: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 30 second increments until it’s just melted. Make sure you don’t leave it in the microwave for longer than 30 seconds at the time, or you risk it burning. Once it’s melted, set the butter aside and allow it to cool briefly. If it’s too hot, you can always place the bowl in the fridge to help it cool quicker. 
  • Combine some of the dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cocoa powder, and hot chocolate mix. Whisk it together to fully combine, then set aside. 
  • Use a stand mixer to combine all ingredients: Start by adding both the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the stand mixer. Then, add the melted butter and mix until it’s all well combined. Once combined, add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Toss in the vanilla extract, then gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix until everything is just combined. 
  • Let it chill: Cover the mixing bowl full of dough with plastic wrap and allow it to chill for at least an hour, but overnight is best. Once the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and set it aside. Prepare a bowl full of powdered sugar for dredging, and also set it aside. 
  • If you’re baking large cookies: Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, roll the dough into a ball and toss through powdered sugar and place on a prepared cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Larger cookies will need to bake for 12 minutes.
  • If you’re baking smaller cookies: Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop and roll the dough into a ball before tossing into the powdered sugar. Then, place the cookie dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart. They’ll need to bake for 10 minutes. 
  • Cool the cookies: When you take them out of the oven, the cookies will appear soft, but they will firm as they cool off. Allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks to finish cooling. That way, they won’t break!

Can I make these cookies even more chocolatey?

In my kitchen, the answer to this question is always a resounding YES! Although these cookies already have hot chocolate mix and cocoa powder, if you’re a real chocolate lover, you can toss in some semi sweet chocolate chips for that extra gooey goodness. 

Just can’t get enough? Serve these with hot cocoa on the side to fully indulge in the chocolate fantasy, and thank me later.

How long will these crinkle cookies stay fresh?

In an airtight container at room temperature, these Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies will stay deliciously fresh for up to 3 days. Want them to last even longer? Keep them in that same airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!

What ways can I switch up the original recipe?

Besides adding more chocolate, there are plenty of other ways you can personalize these Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies. You can add a dash of espresso powder if you’re a mocha fan, or mix in some chopped pecans for added texture! Around Christmas, sometimes I sprinkle in some crushed peppermint for a fun festive flair.

Really, there’s nothing about these cookies I’m not obsessed with! Between the texture, flavor, and that perfect dusting of powdered sugar, I crave these cookies all year long. Make a batch today and see why I’m so smitten!

Rack of cooling chocolate crinkle cookies

Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

Yield: 20 Cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for a few minutes
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup hot chocolate mix
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar (for dredging)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie
    sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat
  2. In a microwave proof bowl, melt butter in 30 second
    increments until just melted
  3. Once butter is melted, set aside and allow to cool briefly –
    If butter is very hot, place bowl in refrigerator to allow to cool quicker
  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, kosher salt,
    cocoa powder, and hot chocolate mix. Whisk together and set aside
  5. Using stand mixer, add both granulated and brown sugar
  6. Add melted butter and mix until well combined
  7. Incorporate one egg at a time, mixing well after each
    addition
  8. Next, mix in vanilla extract
  9. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined
  10. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill for
    at least an hour, overnight is best
  11. Once dough is chilled, remove from refrigerator and set
    aside
  12. In a small to medium sized bowl, add confectioner’s sugar
    for dredging
  13. *For larger cookies: Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop,
    roll dough into a ball and toss through powdered sugar and place on a prepared
    cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart
  14. Bake larger cookies for 12 minutes. Cookies will appear soft
    once removed from the oven, but will firm as they cool
  15. *For smaller cookies: Use a 1-tablespoon cookie
    scoop, roll dough into a ball and toss through powdered sugar and place on a
    prepared cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart
  16. Bake smaller cookies for 10 minutes. Cookies will appear
    soft once removed from the oven, but will firm as they cool
  17. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before moving to wire
    racks to finish cooling

Notes

*This recipe makes 20 large cookies and 40 small cookies.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 4g

The nutritional values above are auto calculated by a nutrition program and can vary based on brands of ingredients used.

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33 Comments

  • Allyson Zea
    January 26, 2021 at 8:13 am

    Can you believe that I’ve never tried to make these! I’m Adding these to my must make list!

    Reply
  • Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
    January 26, 2021 at 9:28 am

    These Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies sound delicious! Dangerously good…

    Reply
  • Jen
    January 26, 2021 at 9:35 am

    I know my kids are going to love these! Thanks for the tip about making them with even more chocolate. My youngest has a bit of a sweet tooth.

    Reply
  • Amanda Livesay
    January 26, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    Crinkles are my favorite cookie ever and I love this hot cocoa twist! So yummy!

    Reply
  • Beth
    January 26, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    These look so delicious and yummy! My husband and daughter are going to love these cookies! So excited to make these!

    Reply
  • Catalina
    January 26, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    These are my favorite cookies! It’s so great to make them at home now!

    Reply
  • Kevin
    February 8, 2021 at 1:38 pm

    These have to happen! They look and sounds so good! Going to help that sweet tooth!

    Reply
  • Mahy
    February 8, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    The last time I checked, my cookie jar was empty. So I am lucky I’ve stumbled upon your recipe – these cookies look too good to be true, yet they are!

    Reply
  • Jessica Formicola
    February 8, 2021 at 5:21 pm

    My favorite cold weather drink in cookie form?? Yes, please! I will be making a batch of these asap!

    Reply
  • Lilly
    February 8, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    My boyfriend and I are going to love this recipe! I’m so excited to make these with him!

    Reply
  • Julia
    February 8, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    These were so easy to make and so delicious. Definitely going to make more as a gift for friends!

    Reply
  • Elaine
    February 8, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    Fabulous cookies that are not only a great gift but also a great treat to make for yourself. Love the texture – just the way I like my cookies to be!

    Reply
  • Caitlyn Erhardt
    February 8, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    YUM! These cookies were simple to make and I loved the flavor. Can’t wait to make them again soon.

    Reply
  • Addison
    February 8, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    These cookies are amazing!!!

    Reply
  • Kim Guzman
    February 8, 2021 at 8:14 pm

    Those look delicious! I can’t wait to try them.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth
    February 9, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    Such a great recipe! So delicious! 

    Reply
  • Debra
    February 10, 2021 at 8:56 am

    AWesome cookies to enjoy by the fireplace.

    Reply
  • Amanda Dixon
    February 11, 2021 at 5:42 pm

    These are the perfect winter cookies! They were so soft and full of rich chocolate flavor. Total comfort food in cookie form!

    Reply
  • Amy Liu Dong
    February 12, 2021 at 7:07 am

    This is one of my kid’s favorite. It’s easy to make and definitely delicious!

    Reply
  • Colleen
    February 12, 2021 at 9:54 am

    Oh my goodness, these cookies! A chocolate lover’s dream. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  • Tammy
    February 12, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    Oh these look lovely! I love crinkle cookies…a perfect recipe for the weekend. It’s been too long since I’ve made chocolate cookies so I’m very excited to give these a try!

    Reply
  • Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
    February 12, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    Give me a stack of those cookies and glass milk and I’ll be in heaven! They look positively luscious and just begging to be made this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  • Marisa F. Stewart
    February 13, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    I’ve never made crinkle cookies before but I wanted to make our elderly neighbor something special for Valentines Day. Well, I love how crinkle cookies look so I followed your instructions and they were super simple to make. I made a double batch because my kiddos would never let me get away with giving away all of the cookies without sampling them. They were delicious and our neighbor loved them.

    Reply
  • Leslie
    February 14, 2021 at 1:33 pm

    This is an excellent crinkle cookie recipe! Such a great recipe to give for gifts as well!

    Reply
  • Sara Welch
    February 14, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    Whipped up a few batches of these for Valentine’s Day and they did not disappoint! So easy and fun; exactly what aI needed to cure my sweet tooth!

    Reply
  • Jen
    February 14, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    I love these cookies. Not just for the holidays- will be making them all year long.

    Reply
  • Biana
    February 14, 2021 at 9:04 pm

    Hot cocoa in a cookie food? That sounds amazing, will be making them soon!

    Reply
  • Addison
    February 14, 2021 at 9:20 pm

    These cookies are just so fun! I love anything chocolate so these are right up my alley!

    Reply
  • Heather Johnson
    February 14, 2021 at 9:26 pm

    Love this! i’ve always wanted to make these cookies – they’re my favorite! and yes – adding chips – maybe peanut butter chips!

    Reply
  • Danielle
    February 14, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    I just love the look of these cookies! And they taste so delicious too.

    Reply
  • FOODHEAL
    February 15, 2021 at 2:03 am

    These cookies are perfect for winter. I am sure my kids will love these.. Thank you for such a simple recipe.

    Reply
  • Caroline
    February 15, 2021 at 4:03 am

    Those look so cute and sound delicious as well!

    Reply
  • Anna
    May 26, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    I do not have hot chocolate mix can I just use same amount using cocoa powder only? Thx

    Reply

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