How to Make the Perfect Vegan Crinkle Cookies
American · Medium · 32 min · 22 servings
These vegan crinkle cookies are strikingly beautiful with their deep chocolate interior cracking through a thick coating of powdered sugar creating a dramatic crinkle pattern in every single cookie. This show-stopping vegan recipe delivers a fudgy brownie-like center with a soft slightly crisp powdered sugar crust that makes these impossible to stop eating.
Why this recipe works
This Vegan Crinkle Cookies recipe has been crafted to deliver restaurant-quality results in your home kitchen. At just 32 minutes from start to finish, it fits perfectly into a busy schedule without sacrificing flavor. Each serving comes in at 134 calories with 2g of protein, making it a balanced choice for any meal.
What you will need
This recipe uses 8 simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.75 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make Flax Egg and Mix Wet
Combine the ground flaxseed with water and set aside for 5 minutes to gel. In a large bowl whisk together the melted coconut oil and granulated sugar until combined. Add the flax egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and glossy.
Step 2: Add Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour cocoa powder baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of salt into the wet mixture. Fold together until a thick dark dough forms. The dough will be quite soft and sticky which is completely normal for this vegan recipe.
Step 3: Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Chilling is absolutely non-negotiable for crinkle cookies as the dough needs to firm up enough to be rolled into balls and coated in powdered sugar.
Step 4: Roll in Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and roll each one generously in powdered sugar making sure every surface is thickly coated. Do not be shy with the powdered sugar as this coating creates the crinkle pattern.
Step 5: Bake and Watch the Magic
Place coated dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies have spread and the chocolate dough has cracked dramatically through the white powdered sugar coating. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring.
Easy substitutions
Missing an ingredient? Here are some swaps that work perfectly:
- coconut oil → melted vegan butter for a slightly richer flavor though the dough may need a slightly longer chill time to firm up properly
- cocoa powder → half cocoa powder and half black cocoa powder for an even more intensely dark chocolate flavor and dramatic color contrast
Common mistakes to avoid
Watch out for these pitfalls that can affect your results:
- Not chilling the dough long enough which results in dough that is too soft to roll into clean balls and sticks to everything making it nearly impossible to coat properly in powdered sugar
- Using too little powdered sugar when rolling the dough balls which prevents the thick coating needed to create the signature dramatic crinkle pattern as the cookies spread and bake
Nutrition facts
Per serving: 134 calories, 2g protein, 22g carbs, 5g fat, 1g fiber.
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