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Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies will be a hit at your next holiday gathering. They are buttery, chocolatey, and coated in sugary heaven!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Dough 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 16 people
Calories 129kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (*see note #1)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • ¾ cup cane sugar
  • cup vegan butter , melted & slightly cooled (*see note #2)
  • ¼ cup non-dairy milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (*see note #3)
  • ½ cup cocoa powder , sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Sugar Coating

Instructions

  • Combine flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl to create a flax egg. Set aside for 10 min, stirring again at the midway mark to help the flax absorb the water. It should be thick, somewhat gel-like, and not watery.
  • Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients with the flax egg until combined (melted butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla)
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a spatula, stir and fold until dough is combined, making sure to scrape any dry powder at the bottom of the bowl. (The dough will be very thick and a little sticky). Wrap the dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours. This will make it much easier to handle and yield evenly-shaped cookies.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or two standard-sized sheets). Prep two small bowls for sugar coating - one with powdered sugar and one with cane sugar,
  • Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough and place it on the baking sheet. Continue until all dough is scooped (A medium-sized cookie scoop works well for this).
  • Now, using your hands, roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball then dip into the cane sugar to lightly coat all sides, then immediately dip into the powdered sugar to generously coat all sides. Place each piece back on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Continue until all of the pieces are coated.
  • Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they have spread, are crackled, and are slightly set around the edges. They will look undercooked, but that’s normal and they will continue to cook on the baking sheet out of the oven (don’t leave them in the oven too long). Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then place them on a cooling rack for at least 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Flaxseed Meal - if you only have whole flaxseeds, you can grind them up in a coffee grinder into a meal. Make sure to measure the flaxseed in its ground form. If you don't have flax, you can replace it with a ½ cup of applesauce. You will also need to omit the 3 tablespoons of water and the ¼ cup of non-dairy milk in the recipe. The applesauce is whisked with the other wet ingredients (melted butter, vanilla, and sugar) and the remaining method is exactly as written above. The cookies will be slightly puffier and the cracks will be slightly different. They are still perfectly delicious! 
  2. Vegan Butter - I used Miyoko's vegan butter because I prefer the flavor, but any non-dairy butter will work well. You can use unsalted if preferred, but I felt the taste was better with the salted variety. If you use unsalted butter, I would add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe. If you don't have vegan butter you can use a neutral-flavored oil. The method will be the same as the written recipe above. The oil will produce a slightly fudgier texture and slightly thinner cookie. They are delish! My only issue is that the stark white color from the powdered sugar seems to fade faster than the butter-based ones. It's not a big deal if you will be serving the cookies within 6-8 hours. 
  3. All-Purpose Flour - for accurate results, do not scoop the flour with a measuring cup directly from the flour container. Instead, aerate the flour first, scoop it out of the container with a spoon, and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess flour. Adding too much flour can alter the final results. 
  4. Granulated Sugar Coating - don't skip this step! Not only will it help create more defined cracks, but it will also keep the powdered sugar from fading too fast by creating a moisture barrier. Also, make sure to be generous when coating with powdered sugar for perfect stark white crinkles that stay put!
  5. Baking Sheet - If you're using 2 baking sheets instead of 1 large one, bake only one batch at a time. If you only have one standard baking sheet, leave ½ the dough in the fridge while the cookies bake then let the pan completely cool before using it again. 
  6. See the post above for extra tips, FAQs, and step-by-step photos.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 91mg | Sugar: 14g