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These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are slightly crunchy around the edges and soft and chocolate-y in the center. Better yet, the fact that there’s just a few ingredients (starting with a cake mix!) means they’re a cinch to make! 

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A stack of fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies with a bite out of the top cookie; a glass of milk in the background.

If you need a go-to cookie that comes together in minutes, look no further!!!  Making the dough for these cake mix cookies is as easy as it gets and you’ll have them in the oven in no time!  Though they’re perfect for the holiday season and cookie exchanges, I make these easy cookies year-round!

Ingredients needed to make chocolate crinkle cookies on a white background:  cake mix, eggs, water, powdered sugar, butter and mini chips.

Ingredients Needed

  • Boxed Cake Mix – Devil’s food cake mix is my favorite to use, but you could also use Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge cake mix.
  • Eggs – I always use large eggs when baking.
  • Butter – I use salted butter in this recipe (some recipes call for vegetable oil, but I prefer the flavor and texture of butter in these).
  • Water
  • Chocolate Chips – I like using mini chips for great distribution, but regular sized chocolate chips work great too!
  • Powdered Sugar – aka confectioners’ sugar.

How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Cake Mix

Start by preheating the oven and lining baking sheets with parchment paper.  Pour the powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Chocolate cookie dough in a clear mixing bowl.

To make the dough, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, butter and water to a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer.

A chocolate cookie dough with mini chocolate chips ready to be mixed in.

Once those ingredients are combined, stir in the chocolate chips.  Though not totally necessary, I love getting a pocket of melty chocolate in a fudgy chocolate crinkle cookie!

At this point, you can bake them right away OR cover the bowl with plastic wrap and bake up to 48 hours later.

A scoop of chocolate cookie dough.

Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough and drop it into the powdered sugar.  

Roll the cookie dough balls in the powdered sugar until completely covered; transfer to the prepared cookie sheet.  Make sure you give the cookies enough space to spread a bit as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.  The cracks should look moist but very soft and the edges should be set.  

Let the baked cookies set for 5 minutes on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Do NOT overtake these!!  They’ll firm up as they cool.

A fudgy chocolate crinkle cookie broken in half to show the melted chocolate chips.

Can I use Other Flavors of Cake Mix?

Devils food cake is definitely the classic in our family! However, you can make about any flavor of cake mix crinkles! Here are a few options that would be really delicious!

  • Funfetti Crinkle Cookies – Use a confetti cake mix and white chocolate chips.
  • White Chocolate Strawberry Crinkle Cookies – Use a strawberry cake mix and white chocolate chips.
  • Spiced Crinkle Cookies – Use a spice cake mix and cinnamon chips.
  • Lemon Crinkle Cookies – Use a lemon cake mix, lemon juice (in place of the water) and skip the chocolate chips.
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies – Use a red velvet cake mix and white chocolate chips.
A stack of 5 double chocolate crackle cookies

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you store crinkle cookies?

Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.  

Can you freeze crinkle cookies?

Absolutely.  Store in a freezer bag for 1-2 months.

Why did my cookies spread too much?

​Using melted butter could cause the cookies to spread more than you want them to.  Make sure the butter is just softened (not melted).  If you need to firm the dough up a bit, place the bowl in the fridge for an hour and try again.  If they’re still spreading more than you’d like, stir 1 tablespoon of flour into the dough.  

Lastly, a box of cake mix seems to change in size all the time… though I haven’t run into this issue with these cookies, a smaller cake mix might require an additional tablespoon or two of flour.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies on a wire rack with a small bowl of mini chocolate chips next to it.

Other Cake Mix Cookie Recipe I Love

Cake Mix Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Kiss Cookies

Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Author: Kelsey
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
24 cookies
These cookies have a slightly crunchy edges and are moist & chocolatey inside. The fact that there's just a few ingredients (starting with a cake mix!) means they're a cinch to make!

Equipment

  • Oven

Ingredients
 

  • 1 box Devil's food cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips (regular size works too)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Stir together cake mix, eggs, water and softened butter until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.*
    1 box Devil's food cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • Shape the dough into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar and place 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet (or on a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet).
    1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes. (The cracks might still look a bit wiggly, but they'll firm up when they cool.)
  • Remove cookies to a cooling rack.

Notes

*I like to use mini chocolate chips because you are sure to get some in each bite!  However, regular sized chocolate chips work great, too!

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Calcium: 24.5mg | Iron: 0.9mg
“Dance Around the Kitchen” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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A collage of three images with a father and daughter

These are one of my dad’s favorite cookies! My dad is a pretty cool guy and I suppose I’m bias, but he’s the best dad out there. I’ve always admired his hard work-ethic, the way he loves on his grandkids, his goofy jokes and his big bear hugs. He’s the kind of dad I want my kiddos to grow up with…Zach’s got some big shoes to fill (and I will say, he’s doing a darn good job so far! :))

Dad and I have a lot in common. We’re both passionate about agriculture. We both love breaking it down on the dance floor. We’re both stubborn and hold grudges longer than we should. We both love a good four-wheeler ride in the mountains. And we both put God and our family above all else.

However, there are a few things Dad and I will always disagree on. First off, our music preferences….wooooofta! When we were little, he made up this rule that “whoever’s driving gets to choose the radio station.” I still think he played some of those oldies to see how quickly he could get an eye-roll from the kids in the back seat! 

And another thing we’ll never see eye-to-eye on…..baked goods. Dad just isn’t a big sweets guy. I’m the complete opposite with a raging sweet tooth…..if you haven’t figured that out yet! 😉 However, as much as dad says he’s “not a sweets guy,” these Chocolate Crackle Cookies are one thing he just can’t turn down!

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3 Comments

  1. Can you substitute cream cheese for Crisco

  2. Diane Massey says:

    5 stars
    I absolutely love your recipes! Thank you for sharing…