Sourdough Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
This is hands down the best sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies recipe EVER! They are rich and fudgy, with a soft, chewy center and crackly sugar-coated exterior. These easy sourdough cookies taste like brownies, but in cookie form!
Just like our sourdough lemon crinkle cookies, sourdough chocolate chip cookies, and sourdough oatmeal cookies, these Christmas cookies are perfectly sweetened and stay soft and fresh for days.
Turn your sourdough discard into a sweet holiday treat with this perfect cookie recipe. Fudgy, festive, and oh-so-delicious!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dry Ingredients: You’ll need all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. For a richer chocolate flavor, opt for dark chocolate powder.
- Wet Ingredients: You’ll need sourdough discard, avocado oil (or any neutral-flavored oil — skip olive oil), light or dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. You can use unsalted butter in place of the oil.
- Decoration: Confectioner’s sugar is used to enhance that classic crackly effect.
How to make Sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies
Step 1
Combine the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough discard, avocado oil, light or dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth.
Step 3
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop and roll the dough into balls using your hands.
Step 5
Roll each ball very generously in the powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Step 6
Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Carmyn's Tips
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your egg and sourdough discard are at room temperature to ensure the dough comes together smoothly for a more uniform texture.
Chill the Dough: Chilling the dough is crucial for achieving the signature crinkle effect. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight to make it easier to handle and prevent spreading.
Coat Just Before Baking: Sugar coat the cookie dough balls just before baking. If you do it too early, the powdered sugar coating will absorb into the dough, preventing the signature crackly texture. By rolling the dough balls in sugar right before baking, you'll ensure the sugar stays on the surface, creating that beautiful crinkle effect as the cookies bake.
Generous Coating: Roll the dough balls generously in powdered sugar, making sure they’re fully coated. This helps create the dramatic, crackly appearance as the cookies bake
How to Store
Baked Cookies
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Add a small piece of white bread to the container for extra freshness and chewiness.
You can also freeze any leftover baked cookies for up to 3 months. Once the cookies have cooled completely, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag.
Unbaked Cookie Dough
Unbaked cookie dough can be kept tightly covered in the fridge for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
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Sourdough Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup (50 g) sourdough discard
- ¼ cup (45 g) avocado oil (any neutral-flavored oil, NOT olive oil)
- ½ cup (100 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rolling
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (you may need more)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and whisk together.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ¼ cup (50 g) sourdough discard, ¼ cup (45 g) avocado oil, ½ cup (100 g) light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until fully combined.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. Don't skip chilling the dough - it's mandatory for the next set of steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set to the side.
- Add ¼ cup powdered sugar to a large plate and set to the side.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop and roll the dough into balls using your hands (about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dough or about 33-35 grams each). Roll each ball very generously in the powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies are so yummy. I followed the directions exactly, and was so impressed with the results. Gooey, with a complex flavor from the sourdough discard addition that made it seem like an elevated version of the classic crinkle recipe. Highly recommend.
ok I'm back - of COURSE these were insane. by insane I mean they were delicious. recipe was easy to follow, as are all of yours. thank you!
Thank you, Emily!
Just a tip - move step one of the recipe to the bottom. Regardless of 3 hours of 3 days having a plate of powdered sugar on the counter for either amount of time was not the move for me haha Can't wait to try these! The batter looks and smells amazing.
Thank you for pointing that out! 🙂
I was so excited to see this recipe in my inbox. I shared it with my daughter in law too. It was extremely easy and quick to put together. I made it in the evening and refrigerated the dough overnight. The cookies baked beautifully and removed from the parchment paper cleanly. So yummy. Thanks again for your amazing recipes!
It definitely takes like a brownie in cookie form! Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes! I was wondering if you think this one would be adaptable to changing the flavors -- I'm thinking of putting ube powder instead of cocoa powder.
Can I use honey instead of sugar
Yes, but you’ll only want to use 1/2 - 1/3 cup of honey since it’s much sweeter than sugar. If the dough is too sticky, you may want to also add a little bit of flour.
Would it be the same for substituting maple syrup?
Yes, I would start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed.
These are SO good. Made some for a party tonight. After I tasted one and I decided to make another batch because I know they’ll go fast.
They are my absolute favorite cookie!!
Made these last night for a Christmas work potluck and baked them in the morning before work. They're so easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Thank you, Kyrie!
what can be substituted for oil? I don't have anything other than butter & Olive oil!
You can use butter!
Hi! When using butter would this be the same amount as the oil and does it need to be softened assume?
Yes, you can substitute the oil with the same amount of butter. You can melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, just make sure it’s not piping hot, warm or room temp is fine.
I love these cookies. Sometimes I add white choco. chips.