Name: Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: ½ cup brown sugar; ½ cup powdered sugar; ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder (optional); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips; 1 cup finely chopped walnuts; 3 large eggs (separated); 2 teaspoon vanilla; ½ - ¾ cup powdered sugar

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These classic flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and perfect for the holidays! (Gluten-free)

With a bite like a soft, fudgy brownie dusted with a fresh coating of powered sugar, Classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are tried and true: you're almost sure to find a batch at any school bake sale or holiday cookie exchange.

Crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are amazingly simple to make, and taste absolutely decadent. (I have it on good authority that they are one of Santa’s favorite treats!)

Jump to:

Why These Crinkle Cookies are the Best!
Crinkle Cookies Ingredients
How to Make Mom's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Storage
More Holiday Recipes
Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Why These Crinkle Cookies are the Best!

I always knew my mother’s Chocolate Crinkle Cookies were better than anyone else’s. For a long time though, I didn’t know why. (I guess I just supposed everyone thinks their mom's cookies are the best.) It wasn't until I started doing recipe development that I learned what set Mom's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe apart: they are flourless. Totally.

Not only are these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies flourless, but they are also free of added fats! No oil. No butter. (Trust me on this: they don’t need it.)

Which brings me to this little extra holiday bonus: these deliciously fudgy bites of heaven have only about 65 calories per cookie! Can you believe it‽

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
_{Charles Schult}

From what I can tell, this recipe has its roots in another one of Mom's recipes: Swiss Chews. Swiss Chew's are totally gluten free, employing ground walnuts for structure and mass instead of flour. This Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe seems to be an adaptation of that earlier recipe.

Two crinkle cookies on a festive napkin.

Crinkle Cookies Ingredients

Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar. If you use dark brown sugar, the texture of the final cookie can change.
Powdered sugar: i.e., confectioner's sugar, icing sugar.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: We suggest using Dutch-process baking cocoa, which gives the cookies a darker, fudgier flavor. Using natural baking cocoa will produce a cookie with a milder, lighter chocolate flavor.
Instant coffee (or espresso powder): The flavor of coffee intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. It is, however, totally optional to the recipe.
Chocolate chips: For the best results, use semisweet chocolate chips.
Finely chopped walnuts: Finely chopped walnuts should resemble cracked wheat.
Vanilla: Use vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
Eggs
Kosher salt

How to Make Mom's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse walnuts until they resemble cracked wheat. (Be careful - if you let them go too long, you'll have walnut butter!) Measure walnuts after chopping. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 40 seconds at a time, stirring after each cycle, until chocolate is completely melted. Allow to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. To the beaten egg whites, gradually add brown sugar mixture and then vanilla, beating until thick.

Using a spatula, gently fold the walnuts and beaten egg yolks into the egg-white mixture.

Fold the melted chocolate chocolate into the whipped egg-white mixture.

Refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Do not attempt to make cookies until the dough is cold!

Form Cookies

Form 1" balls of dough using a small cookie scoop or spoon; about 2 teaspoons per cookie. A small cookie scoop works perfect for this.

Cookie dough in a mixing bowl, and one cookie ball in the middle of powdered sugar.

Pour ½ - ¾ cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Rolls cookie dough balls in powdered sugar.

Balls of cookie dough covered with powdered sugar resting on a cooling rack.

Place cookie balls on prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. You do not need to press the cookie balls down. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

If you make your cookies larger, you may need to bake them for an addition 2-3 minutes.

Baked chocolate crinkle cookies on a rack.

Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Equipment

The cookie sheet you bake on makes can have a big impact on the outcome of your cookies. We recommend baking amaretti on parchment on a natural aluminum insulated cookie sheet.

If you bake on a dark cookie sheet, line the cookie sheet with parchment, reduce the baking temperature by 10°F and check the cookies a minute of two early to avoid over-browning.

Storage

Crinkle cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week, or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Freeze baked cookies: These cookies can also be frozen. Cool the cookies completely, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once the cookies are frozen, transfer them to an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to two months.

Freeze cookie dough: For maximum flavor and freshness, we suggest freezing the cookie dough instead freezing baked cookies. The best way to do this is to preroll the cookie balls, and then roll them in powdered sugar when you are ready to bake and let them thaw on the cookie sheet. If you bake directly from frozen dough, add a minute or two to the baking time.

More Holiday Recipes

Check out our classic cookie recipes, including snickerdoodles, oatmeal coconut cookies, and soft amaretti.

5 from 13 votes