For rich and fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies that require zero chilling time, you’ll love my almond flour version! These thick, soft-baked cookies have the flavor and texture of a brownie, but with a crisp, crackly exterior that’s coated in powdered sugar. They stay tender and moist for days thanks to the almond flour, and they’re also naturally gluten-free. Aside from almond flour, this recipe doesn’t require any specialty ingredients – just your typical baking staples like cocoa, sugar, butter and eggs!
If chocolate crinkle cookies are on your holiday baking list, this recipe is a must try and the perfect addition for Christmas cookie trays and boxes!
Another favorite this time of year are my no chill, 8-ingredient almond flour sugar cookies! You can add sprinkles, keep them plain or top with frosting.
Table of contents
No chill and small batch!
Two reasons why this is such a great recipe – no chilling time and it makes a small batch recipe!
So many crinkle cookie recipes require chilling. This is to prevent them from spreading too much so the cookies stay thick and puffy. For my recipe, I wanted to save time and eliminate the need to chill the cookie dough. So, I made the batter extra thick by using a little less butter and adding some cornstarch. Of course, for this to work, it helps that the almond flour has a lot of moisture. The result is a thick and puffy cookie that requires zero chill time.
I love small batch cookie recipes! I find 15-20 cookies is the perfect amount for having on hand or filling cookie boxes and trays. This recipe makes just 15 cookies and bakes in two batches, so you don’t have to spend hours baking dozens of cookies.
Key ingredients and substitutions
You don’t need a lot of complicated ingredients to make these gluten-free crinkle cookies! Below are some of the key ingredients and notes on substitutions. Please visit the recipe card at the end of this post for all of the ingredients and quantities used.
- Almond flour – Fine blanched almond flour is my go-to for baking. While almond meal can sometimes be used as a substitute, the finer texture and lighter color of almond flour makes it well suited for cakes and cookies.
- Cocoa – For a richer and darker chocolate cookie, I used Dutch-processed cocoa. I haven’t tested this recipe with natural cocoa.
- Sugar – I use a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar in the cookie dough to get a nice balance of crispy edges and chewy centers. Rolling the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar (before rolling in powdered sugar) also helps create a crispy exterior.
- Powdered sugar – Rolling the crinkle cookie dough in powdered sugar gives them their signature crinkle look.
- Cornstarch – I like to add a little cornstarch to help keep the cookies thick, puffy and tender.
- Butter – The recipe calls for unsalted room temperature butter. I haven’t tested the recipe with plant-based butter but if you’re looking for a dairy-free cookie, you could try substituting with it.
How to make almond flour chocolate crinkle cookies (step-by-step with photos)
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Tips for recipe succes
- Sticky dough. The dough will be sticky to handle, so you’ll want to rinse and dry your hands a few times while rolling the dough into balls.
- Roll in granulated sugar first. Rolling the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before rolling in powdered sugar creates a crispy exterior and helps prevent the powdered sugar from dissolving.
- Don’t over bake. For a soft, thick and chewy cookie with a brownie like texture, it’s better to under bake these cookies. You know they’re done when they’ve puffed up and cracked. They won’t spread very much.
Recipe FAQs
This could happen if your oven isn’t hot enough or if you didn’t bake the cookies long enough. They need to puff up quickly and continue baking until the cracks form. If your oven isn’t hot enough, the cookies won’t puff up and expand as quickly as they need to for the cracks to form.
The almond flour really helps keep these cookies soft and fudgy. If you didn’t use enough, that could affect the texture. Or, if you used too much cocoa, this could cause the cookies to be dry. For these reasons, I like to weigh my ingredients so I’m using the exact amount a recipe calls for. The cookies may also be dry if they were over baked.
These cookies are best stored in an airtight container on the counter and will stay moist and fudgy for up to 4 days.
Yes! After the cookies have completely cooled, place them in a freezer safe container. I like to store them in a single layer so the powdered sugar doesn’t get too disturbed. They’ll keep for up to a month in the freezer.
More almond flour Christmas cookie recipes
- Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
- Almond Flour Monster Cookies
- Almond Flour Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossoms
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Print
Almond Flour Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (No Chill!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These gluten-free almond flour chocolate crinkle cookies are thick, rich and fudgy with a crisp, crackly exterior and require zero chilling!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (182g) fine blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup (30g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (76g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for rolling
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (45g) powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will be thick.
- Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small bowl and place the powdered sugar in a separate small bowl.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. (I usually bake 8 per pan).
- Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and cracked on top.
- Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Notes
- The dough will be sticky to handle, so you’ll want to rinse and dry your hands a few times while rolling the dough into balls.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before rolling in powdered sugar creates a crispy exterior and helps prevent the powdered sugar from dissolving.
- For a soft, thick and chewy cookie with a brownie like texture, it’s better to under bake these cookies. You know they’re done when they’ve puffed up and cracked. They won’t spread very much.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure out your almond flour and cocoa.
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