You’ll find the chili powder in these cookies to add a little something extra — it’s definitely a treat and not a trick (maybe a kick). I also added a bit of instant coffee granules for extra depth of flavor. These little babies are perfectly chewy, a little naughty and very very delicious.
How to Make Chili Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
1. Preheat and Prepare
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Prepare two shallow bowls: one with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and another larger bowl with the powdered sugar.
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, and instant coffee granules (if using). Set aside.
3. Make the Wet Mixture
- In another medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and vegetable oil. Blend with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Combine the Mixtures
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, blending on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
5. Chill the Dough
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, to make the dough easier to handle.
6. Shape and Coat the Cookies
- Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll them into balls with your hands.
- Roll each ball first in the granulated sugar, ensuring an even coating, then in the powdered sugar until generously covered.
7. Bake the Cookies
- Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes. The cookies should spread slightly and develop characteristic crackles on the surface.
8. Cool and Enjoy
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for 2–3 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Tips for Success
- Dough Chilling: Chilling the dough is crucial for easier handling and to prevent excessive spreading during baking, don’t skip!
- Dough Consistency: If you find the dough to be too batter-like and difficult to work with, add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to make it easier to handle.
- Sugar Coating: Rolling in granulated sugar before powdered sugar helps create more distinct crackles on the surface.
- Spice Balance: Adjust the chili powder to your tolerated level of heat. A mild chili powder adds warmth without overwhelming the chocolate flavor, while a spicier one gives it a great kick.
- Coffee Boost: The optional instant coffee deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee.
Chili Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: Makes 24 1x
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Chewy, spicy, and intensely chocolatey, these cookies are a fun twist on a classic. Perfect for a holiday bake-off or any chocolate craving!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 3/4 cups (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cups (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp instant coffee granules
- 2/3 cups (85 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare two shallow bowls: one with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and another larger bowl with powdered sugar.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, and instant coffee granules (if using). Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and vegetable oil. Blend with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, blending on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll them into balls. Roll each ball first in the granulated sugar, then in the powdered sugar.
- Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for 2–3 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For a richer chocolate flavor, use dark cocoa powder instead of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- To prevent the cookies from spreading too much, chill the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 20
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of cocoa powder should I use for the Chili Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
Use unsweetened cocoa powder for the best flavor and to balance the sweetness of the cookies.
How long should I refrigerate the cookie dough before baking?
Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight, to make it easier to handle and enhance the flavors.
Can I adjust the amount of chili powder in the recipe?
Yes, you can adjust the amount of chili powder to your taste, but start with the recommended amount to ensure the cookies have the right level of heat.
This is my new favorite cookie recipe. Has a great chew and the kick from the chili powder is great. I want to experiment with chopped chilis instead of just powder, just to see if that works!
The dough was more like batter, very sticky and difficult to work with, and I did chill it for several hours as per recipe. The cookies were good, but I would use a hotter chile next time, not just chili powder. Thank you!
If you find the dough to be too batter-like and difficult to work with, add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to make it easier to handle.
And yes, do experiment with different chilies! I actually made it with some finely chopped jalapeños and it was incredible (very spicy though!)!
Perfectly spiced and not too sweet. Loved the Mexican chocolate vibes. Consistency of dough was a little runny, but added just one tbsp of flour and it set a bit more. Really lovely cookies, super chewy!
I was skeptical about the consistency, but with the extra 2 cups of flour the recipe recommends it was just perfect. The flavor is absolutely fantastic, and I used cayenne pepper.
As written, even with chilling the ‘dough’ overnight, the recipe produces a batter better suited to brownies (where the ratio of flour to eggs, alone, is 1 cup flour to 2 eggs. I was not able to produce a cookie that looked even remotely like those in the image . . . the cookies we got were thin and almost 3” in diameter (from a 1 Tbsp ball of ‘dough’). We ended by making brownies with the ‘dough’ remaining after one batch of cookies.
The flavors are INCREDIBLY THOUGH. We used a mix of ancho, NuMex, and guajillo chiles. Next time we will use canella instead of regular cinnamon, to more closely connect it to the obvious Mexican influences.
These turned out so delicious. The chew was just incredible!