Soft and chewy, whole wheat Chocolate Crackle Cookies are rich, fudgy but not too sweet – perfect for that afternoon “chocolate fix”.
I feel like crackle cookies don’t get their due.
Named for their cracked appearance, these fudgy bites of happiness are often overshadowed by chocolate chip mania. Even though they’re covered in powdered sugar, these cookies aren’t too sweet, and boy are they chocolatey.
Key Ingredients
The main players in Chocolate Crackle Cookies are:
- Cocoa Powder – Make sure you are using cocoa powder for baking, NOT hot cocoa powder for drinking. I use good ol’ Hershey’s cocoa powder when I make this recipe.
- Brown Sugar – It may seem like a small amount, but do not swap out the brown sugar for granulated. Brown sugar helps give these cookies their moist texture and chew.
- Baking Morsels – Using baking morsels is technically optional, but having some chocolate chips or mini chocolate candies really puts the chocolatiness over the top!
The Process
The batter comes together quickly and can be made with or without “mix-ins”. I like to add mini M&M’s, or chocolate chips (white chocolate chips look especially pretty in these once they’re baked).
The dough will be sticky – I repeat, it will be S T I C K Y – when you’re rolling the individual dough balls for baking.
To help combat this, I use a cookie baller to scoop my dough, and I dust my hands with powdered sugar before trying to roll the balls of cookie dough. It’s a lot like dusting your hands with flour when making bread.
If you sprinkle powdered sugar on your parchment paper, it’s ok – it won’t burn.
Also, let these cool a bit before trying to transfer them to a cooling rack – they’re quite soft when they’re warm and may fall apart if you try and move them to a rack too soon.
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup butter (1 stick) softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup mini M&M's or baking morsels
- 3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper, or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Stir together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl; whip until light and fluffy (you can use an electric mixer if you’d like).
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add flours, salt and baking soda; mix just until combined.
- Place 1 cup powdered sugar in shallow bowl (I use a cereal bowl, or even a small plate). Shape dough by heaping teaspoons into balls. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar – this is sticky dough. I don’t try to shape perfect little rolled cookie balls until AFTER the “blobs” of dough have a coating of powdered sugar on them; it helps keep the cookie dough from sticking to your hands (think flour and bread dough…).
- Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake about 11min or until set and no longer shiny. Cool 2min on the cookie sheets; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- How long can I store these? I had to hide cookies from my husband to test this – Chocolate Crackle Cookies will keep for about 3-4 days in an airtight container before they start to get noticeably stale. That being said, they are best the first 1-2 days after baking.
- Can I skip the all-purpose flour and use only whole wheat? I would not – this recipe was tested using a blend and using nothing but whole wheat flour may result in a hard, dense cookie.
- I ran out of powdered sugar/I have powdered sugar left over. The amount of powdered sugar in this recipe is an estimate. You need enough to roll the dough balls in before baking, but there’s no exact amount. I tend to use about 2 cups for this.
- Can I use margarine instead of butter? No – Margarine has a higher water content than butter and should not be used as a substitute.
- Can I roll these in cocoa powder instead of powdered sugar? No – cocoa powder isn’t sweet…at all…so unless you want cookies that are covered in bitter powder, stick to the powdered sugar.
Finishing Touches
You may want to customize your very own Chocolate Crackle Cookies:
- Change up the baking chips (try white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, mint chips, etc…)
- Top with a chocolate kiss candy (or peppermint kiss candy for a holiday twist)
- Add ½ cup of toasted chopped pecans or peanuts
- Sandwich with peanut butter or other nut butter for an extra rich treat
Enjoy!