Fudgy and rich vegan chocolate crinkle cookies are so pretty and a serious crowd pleaser! A classic holiday cookie, and for good reason.
It’s the season for cookies! Christmas is a month away, and I hope this is a time of cookie baking, hot chocolate sipping, snuggling with a kitten on the couch (wait, is that just my life?), fuzzy socks and quality time with friends and family.
These Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are sure to get you in the spirit of Christmas! Its almost like they’re trying to be a brownie that’s rolled in powdered sugar. They are super fudgy inside with a wonderful powdered sugar outside, and they get the most beautiful cracks after baking. It’s quite magical!
My oldest son says these are his favorite cookies. Then again, whenever I make Vegan Snickerdoodles, he claims those are his favorite cookie ever, so I don’t know…. But I’ve never come across a person that didn’t LOVE these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies!
How do you make vegan chocolate crinkle cookies?
These fancy looking cookies are surprisingly easy to make. If you’ve been with me awhile, you might know that I like to make my dessert recipes as easy and delicious as possible. If I can, I use 1 bowl, which is what I did here.
First, you make the cookie dough (all in 1 bowl). A sifter is helpful because cocoa powder can be quite chunky, and you want it to be very fine. Same with the flour. If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a fine mesh strainer.
Then, shape in balls, roll in powdered sugar (GENEROUSLY) and bake! That’s it.
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What kind of cocoa powder should I use?
Make sure to use natural cocoa powder, not dutch cocoa powder. If you want to read more about this, check out this article. But for this recipe, just make sure to use natural cocoa powder. Like this one. Or Hersey’s has one available at most grocery stores.
For more vegan cookie recipes, check these out:
Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil OR melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and canola oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Add the ground flax seeds, non-dairy milk and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt using either a sifter or fine mesh strainer. Stir until combined with the wet ingredients and a soft dough is formed.
- Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, and shape into a ball. Roll the ball in the powdered sugar very generously, covering all sides. The more powdered sugar, the prettier the cookies will be.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. They will appear slightly undercooked and soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store any extra cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- May use canola oil, melted coconut oil or melted vegan butter.
- Use any kind of non-dairy milk you like, such as soy, almond, cashew, or coconut milk.
- If the dough is hard to work with, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then try again. You can also wet your hands a little bit so the dough sticks less.
Ali
November 24, 2018 at 7:00 amThese are the best! One of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you.
Sylvia Sheets
November 24, 2018 at 9:45 amThese will only be vegan if certified organic sugar is used. Sugar is processed with bone char, especially the powdered sugar.
Nora
November 25, 2018 at 7:14 amI’ve heard this is less common, at least in the U.S. these days, but if concerned or unsure you can know you are safe buying organic sugars. Trader Joe’s has organic granulated sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar. You can also make your own powdered sugar from organic sugar if you have a Vitamix! I do this often. This article is helpful on this topic. Thanks Sylvia!
Lynn
November 26, 2018 at 7:48 pmIs the flaxseed your eggreplacer? If so, have you tried making this with aquafaba? Definitely planning to try these this Christmas for my many vegan friends.
Nora
November 27, 2018 at 6:11 amYes, the flaxseed acts as a binder similar to eggs. I haven’t tried making cookies with aquafaba, I’m not sure how it would change the texture, but it may work! Hope you and your friends enjoy the cookies!
Meg
November 29, 2018 at 1:33 pmIs it okay to use organic golden flax meal? Or Bob’s red mill whole ground flaxseed meal. These are the only options at the store near me and I’m unsure if they’re any different than what you used.
Nora
November 29, 2018 at 1:35 pmThose will all work, they are basically the same. I use Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed meal.
Goldie
December 1, 2018 at 12:16 pmCan i use eggs instead? And if so how many?
Thanks
Nora
December 1, 2018 at 2:00 pmI don’t bake with eggs but I imagine 1 egg would work. Thanks!
Lkm
December 3, 2018 at 10:49 amAre you supposed to make a flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water) or just use the ground flax seed? Thanks
Nora
December 3, 2018 at 1:57 pmJust the ground flax seed, no need to make a separate “egg” before adding it.
Maeve
December 7, 2018 at 11:59 amCan I substitute a mushed banana instead of flaxseed???
Nora
December 7, 2018 at 2:19 pmIt might be better to simply leave it out, I’m afraid mashed banana might ruin the flavor! It should be fine without it.
Melissa
December 13, 2018 at 6:05 pmMy son and I really enjoyed making these. They were easy and taste GREAT. Thanks for the recipe!
Nora
December 13, 2018 at 7:24 pmSo glad you and your son enjoyed the cookies!!
Ann Fox
December 14, 2018 at 10:48 amWe are not allowed any oils- sad, your recipes look good
Nora
December 14, 2018 at 10:53 amI do have an Oil Free recipe section you may want to check out. I have quite a few oil free recipes on the site. Thanks!
Abby
December 22, 2018 at 2:48 pmGreat texture! I loved these cookies so much. A great addition to my holiday baking tray.
Nora
December 22, 2018 at 3:08 pmGreat! I’m so glad.
Leslie
December 22, 2018 at 2:58 pmDelish cookie. Being vegan is a bonus. Easy to make. I should have doubled the recipe.
Nora
December 22, 2018 at 3:08 pmThank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed them.
Dominique
December 25, 2018 at 9:02 amHello,
Will I still be able to make the cdi lles even without the flaxseed? Thanks.
Nora
December 25, 2018 at 4:21 pmI haven’t tried it, but I think you could just leave it out! I imagine it would still work.
Lynn
January 17, 2019 at 10:51 amIt was good I didn’t have flax seeds so I just completely took it out. I added more flour and doubled the batch and I got exactatyl 2 dozen, I mean and a little extra but I ate that. It’s edible raw since there are no eggs so yeah.
Kathy
January 23, 2019 at 4:20 pmCould you sub applesauce for the flaxseed.as you can for eggs?
Nora
January 23, 2019 at 6:09 pmIt might work though I haven’t tried it in this recipe. The cookies would likely be softer and not as chewy, but I think it would probably be just fine!
Lindsey
January 30, 2019 at 7:01 pmThese cookies are sooooo delicious! Thanks for sharing. When I coated mine in powdered sugar, after a minute or two it soaked in to the cookies so they weren’t pretty like yours. I even re-rolled them all right before putting them in the oven, but it still just soaked in. How can I prevent that?
Nora
January 30, 2019 at 7:04 pmI’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! I’m not sure why your powdered sugar soaked into the cookies so quickly. To get them looking pretty, I roll them in a LOT of powdered sugar, several times and rather gently, so a good amount sticks to the dough. Perhaps it was your powdered sugar? I’m really not sure though. 🙂
Rachel
February 1, 2019 at 1:49 pmMy husband and I agree that these might be the very best vegan cookies we’ve ever had! So fudgy and delicious!
I landed here for the first time from a google search today but I look forward to exploring the site and trying additional recipes now.
Nora
February 1, 2019 at 2:30 pmI’m so glad to hear that Rachel! I hope you find many more recipes here to love. 🙂
Jenn
February 3, 2019 at 8:38 pmDelicious and easy to make! I think they would be extra good with a little bit of finely chopped chocolate mixed into the batter at the end. Or maybe a small square at the centre of each cookie 🙂
Also I subbed water for the plant-based milk (which I do 90% of the time when baking vegan recipes) and it worked just fine.
Alexandra
March 8, 2019 at 9:23 amChocolate crinkle cookies used to be one of my favorite cookies as a child, a treat I would get maybe once a year or so. I’ve made and loved multiple “Nora Cooks” recipes at this point, so I was thrilled to see that she had developed a vegan version of these. This recipe perfectly replicates the crinkle cookies of my youth and is such a lovely reminder of my childhood! They’re sweet and slightly crunchy on the outside, but perfectly moist and chewy on the inside
I made them for my college students over midterms and they seemed to be a big hit (although most likely any kind gesture would be during an exam!).
Nora
March 8, 2019 at 3:38 pmHi Alexandra! I’m so happy you enjoyed the chocolate crinkle cookies, thank you for your kind comment!
Brooke
March 17, 2019 at 1:00 pmThese cookies are amazing!!!!!!!! I decided to make a batch for a potluck at work. Of course I had to try one being it was the first time making them and I didn’t want to bring them in if I didn’t like them myself. Fast forward to my boyfriend and I eating the entire batch in one night so I had to make a new batch for work. They are THAT GOOD. I typically give up on cookie recipes because they never come out as good as the pictures or as the comments say but this is absolutely the best cookie recipe I’ve ever followed. This will be my new go to and I’m 100% sure no one will know they’re vegan. My cookie didn’t expand a lot from the initial balls so when they came out of the over I just pushed down on them a little with the back of a spoon while still warm so they flattened a bit. Besides that I followed the recipe to a T. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.
Kelly
March 22, 2019 at 8:42 pmThese are delicious. I’m becoming increasingly intolerant of dairy and am constantly looking for recipes that will work for me…and taste great. Thank you!