Light, airy with a rich chocolate flavor, these Sourdough Crinkles are quick and easy to make. Sourdough discard adds a lot of moisture which lets these cookies stay fresh for days making them perfect for gift giving.
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Crinkle cookies were my absolute favorite growing up. I've always been an absolute chocolate fiend, so I could never get enough of these rich and fudgy treats. They are such a nostalgic treat that when I recreated them I wanted my recipe to resemble the ones I ate as a kid, soft and chewy but full of rich fudgy chocolate flavor.
What is a crinkle cookie?
Crinkle Cookies are soft, fudgy cookies covered in powdered sugar. The dough is rolled in powdered sugar and as the crinkles bake they flatten out and develop their unique, signature crackly top. The powdered sugar adds a delicious sweetness which balances the rich dark chocolate flavor of the Dutch processed cocoa powder.
If you liked these Sourdough Crinkles, you'll love my Sourdough Ube Cookies, Sourdough Discard Chewy Spice Cookies, Sourdough Sugar Cookies, Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies and Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies.
Send help, I’ve eaten half a dozen in one sitting. Holy cow these are delicious. Didn’t have canola oil, sub with vegetable oil. Go to recipe for all gatherings.
- Rachel
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough discard adds a great tangy flavor to these Sourdough Crinkle Cookies. You can use your discard directly from the fridge. Since you are not using it to make bread, your sourdough starter does not need to be activated or fed for it to work in this cookie recipe.
Older discard will have a tangier, acidic flavor than freshly-fed sourdough starter. Both will work for this recipe, you’ll get a slightly different result but your cookies will still be delicious!
Love These Sourdough Discard Crinkle Cookies? Check out my My Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes.
Sourdough cookie ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: The low protein content of all-purpose imparts a light and tender texture. Don't substitute whole wheat flour or bread flour.
- Cocoa Powder: I used Dutch processed cocoa powder to create this recipe, do not use natural cocoa powder which is more acidic and will impart a different texture to your cookies. I use it to make my recipes for Chocolate Shortbread Sourdough Cookies, Sourdough Chocolate Bread and Sourdough Chocolate Cookies.
- Sourdough Discard: Both active starter and sourdough discard will work for this recipe. Add 43 grams of flour and use 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk (instead of using 2 eggs and 2 yolks) to the recipe if you don't have any discard.
- Powdered Sugar: The last touch before these cookies are baked, responsible for the signature crackly top of these cookies.
Tip
Blitz 1 cup (200 grams) cane sugar with 1 tablespoon (12 grams) cornstarch in a food processor or blender, to make homemade powdered sugar in a pinch.
Love chocolate cookies? Check out my recipes for Sourdough Chocolate Shortbread Cookies and Sourdough Chocolate Cookies.
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1. Whisk dry ingredients.
STEP 2. Combine wet ingredients.
Tip
Whisk until all traces of sourdough discard remain, this is the best way to ensure you won't end up with gummy spots in your cookies.
STEP 3. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
STEP 4. Stir until no traces of flour remain.
Tip
Expect your cookie dough be appear more like a thick batter. This is totally normal. A cookie scoop will make portioning out your cookie dough much easier.
STEP 5. Portion out cookie dough and roll in powdered sugar.
STEP 6. Bake cookies at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Tip
Let the cookies set on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. The residual heat will continue baking the cookies without drying them out.
Baker's Tips
Weigh your ingredients: For the best results, use a kitchen scale to measure out your ingredients instead of using cups and tablespoons.
Test your leaveners for freshness: Baking powder has a limited shelf life and may eventually lose its effectiveness. To test if yours still works, combine a pinch of baking powder with a drop of vinegar. If the mixture fizzes, then it will still work.
Don't over bake your cookies: Avoid over baking your crinkles or they may end up dry and chalky.
Make ahead instructions
You can make the cookie dough up to 1 week in advance, the dough will continue to develop flavor as it chills. Store the cookie dough in the fridge before portioning them out.
For even longer storage, portion out your cookie dough and place the balls on a small baking sheet (no need to space them out). Freeze the tray uncovered, for 1 hour, once completely frozen move the frozen cookie dough to a ziploc bag and store for up to 1 month.
To bake frozen cookie dough, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake 350 F for 15 to 18 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
No! These cookies are so quick, easy and require no chill time. I posted a previous version of this recipe which required a 2 hour chill time. Two hours is a long time to wait for cookies! With further testing, I found that even without time in the refrigerator these cookies turned out perfectly fine and did not spread too much.
Unlike butter, oil does not contain any water and has the same consistency no matter the temperature. So while cookies made with butter have a tendency to spread, there is no such danger with cookies made with oil. Chilling them a little does give them a richer fudgy texture, but if you don’t want to wait they turn out perfectly rich and chocolatey nonetheless.
Absolutely! Simply use the same proportion of freshly fed sourdough starter in the recipe. Your starter won’t add a strong tangy flavor to your cookies, but will still work.
If you don’t have a starter, but still want to try out this recipe, simply add 43 grams of all-purpose flour and use 3 whole eggs and 1 yolk instead of 2 eggs and 2 yolks.
Many chocolate baked goods will taste chalky and dry when over baked! Make sure you don't go over the bake time.
Other sourdough cookie recipes you may like
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Sourdough Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
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Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 270 grams all-purpose flour
- 80 grams cocoa powder Dutch-processed cocoa
- 8 grams salt
- 10 grams baking powder
- 350 grams granulated sugar
- 175 grams canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 86 grams sourdough discard
- 6 grams vanilla extract
Topping
- 50 grams powdered sugar
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two 18 by 13 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.270 grams all-purpose flour, 80 grams cocoa powder, 8 grams salt, 10 grams baking powder
- Mix wet ingredients:Combine granulated sugar, oil, egg yolks, eggs, sourdough discard and vanilla extract. Stir until no traces of eggs or sourdough remains.350 grams granulated sugar, 175 grams canola oil, 2 large eggs, 2 egg yolks, 86 grams sourdough discard, 6 grams vanilla extract
- Make the dough: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no traces of flour remains.
- Portion out cookie dough: Pour powdered sugar into a small, shallow bowl. Using a cookie scoop, portion out the dough and drop each ball into powdered sugar. Coat the cookie completely in powdered sugar. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a measuring spoon to portion out 1 ½ tablespoons of dough, roll the dough into a ball in your palms.50 grams powdered sugar
- Bake:Position the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops look dry.
- Enjoy and store: These cookies are best enjoyed once they have completely cooled, they are even better the next day! Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Kelsi says
I’m so confused - mine didn’t flatten out like a cookie they still look like balls and I followed the recipe
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Kelsi! Sorry you had this experience. I haven't had this experience with this recipe before.
MaryGrace says
I'm new to sourdough and I made this recipe for a party yesterday and HOLY COW! Everyone raved, the cookies I took to the party disappeared quickly and the ones I kept at home are almost gone. I made very few adjuestments- I subbed a couple grams of salt for a truffle salt, and I used a slightly smaller cookie scoop so only baked for 8 mins, at 325° convection. These are amazing and delicious and I cannot recommend them enough!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Truffle salt is so intriguing! Glad you loved them.
Michaela Burt says
Delicious! I baked them for 9 minutes in my oven - perfect!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad you loved them!
Kelly says
These may be the prettiest cookies I’ve ever made! Super simple to make; I halved the recipe and they turned out perfectly. I did let the dough sit a little after fully incorporating wet&dry to make it less gooey and it rolled nicely in the powdered sugar. Saving recipe to my favorites!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad the recipe worked for you and that the cookies turned out beautifully!
Paradees says
So delicious and came out perfect. I love how you included the measurements in each step, very helpful!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad that helped! Thank you for trying out my recipe.
Marissa says
I gave a question. Can I use vegetable oil or olive oil?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Vegetable oil would be preferable since they have a mild flavor.
riley says
can you use another type of oil like coconut or vegetable for these?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I wouldn't use coconut oil as it is solid at room temp! Any neutral oil will work like vegetable, canola or sunflower.
Jaclyn Tollackson says
I just made these. I ran out of avocado oil so I ended up making them with coconut oil (heated). I did half avocado half coconut. They came out beautifully! Thanks!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Avocado oil works perfectly for this recipe! I'm glad the coconut oil worked as well, sometimes it can transform the texture of baked goods since it behaves so differently from other oils (it's solid at cold temps).
Christine says
Delicious!! I used butter instead of canola oil, and it was still delicious! I might try putting the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours next time to help with rolling the balls (it was a bit messy), but it’s a great recipe!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thank you, Christine!
Diane says
These are like brownie cookies; soft & chewy. I decided not to roll them in powdered sugar because
my husband doesn't like the extra sugar. So, because of that they didn't crinkle. The taste is awesome & the recipe is easy.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad you loved them!
Pau says
Hi! thanks a lot for the recipe. If I leave the dough in the fridge for 7 days will they be sour? if I freeze the portions, should I roll the frozen balls in powder sugar before baking or freeze them allready rolled in it? thanks!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You can leave the dough in the fridge for about 3 days (not sure how they will do for longer than that time period). If you want to freeze the dough, skip rolling them in powdered sugar as the moisture from the freezer will just dissolve the sugar. Roll them in sugar right before baking.
Diane says
I measured in grams using a scale and had my husband stir until completely combined. The dough is very oily. It’s making the powdered sugar look wet, then it’s not white when it comes from the oven. There is so much oil, that I’ve added more flour. What went wrong? Haven’t tasted them yet.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You may need to whisk the sugars into the oil a bit more. I've unfortunately never come across this so I'm not quite sure.
Mara says
When I’ve made other crinkle cookies, I’ve found the trick is to roll first in granular sugar, then powdered sugar, you get the best crinkle result that way.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Great tip! I'll have to try this for myself. Thank you, Mara!
Rebecca Taylor says
These cookies turned out amazing
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thank you for trying them!
Molly says
These were such a wonderful chewy texture and even better after a day or two. Question - is there a way to make this a vanilla or lemon crinkle cookie? I have a friend that can't do chocolate and I'm not sure how to adjust for the right ratios without the cocoa powder. Everything I have made from you has been an absolute hit - you are a sourdough goddess and you are making me look like I know what I'm doing. Thank you!!!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you loved them!
Amy says
I wanted to use my discard to make some cookies so I did a Google search for "sourdough discard cookie recipe". Yours was listed on page one, and since I love chocolate crinkle cookies it won for the recipe to try. Wow, it did not disappoint! I followed the recipe exactly and just wow! The flavor is amazing and they are so soft and fudgy. The only "problem", which is NOT a result of your recipe or instructions, is that I shook off the extra powdered sugar after coating, and they don't have that classic crinkle look. I will leave that extra coating next time. This recipe is already printed and in my sourdough favorites binder. Next time I make them I am going to add Andes mints bits which I think will take this recipe over the top.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So thrilled that you loved it!
Cindy Liu says
Hi! Thank you for your amazing recipe. I am wondering if this cookie dough recipe can be frozen and baked later?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Absolutely! You can find the freezing instructions in the "Make Ahead" section of the blog post.
leslie says
Hey, do you know if the canola oil
can be substitute with butter instead ?
Thank you
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Butter may make the cookies dry and crumbly. I would recommend using another type of oil like avocado or grape seed.
Christine says
I used butter, and they were delicious! Moist and chewy like brownies.
Samantha says
So good! I used vegetable oil as that's all I had. Warm they remind me of a lava cake.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Oooh warmed up sounds so good! Thank you for trying them out.
Mimi says
Can I use natural cocoa instead? I don’t have Dutch processed in my pantry.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Yes! Your cookies may be slightly fluffy and cakier since all natural cocoa powder is acidic and will react with the leaveners in the recipe. But they will still be delicious.
Sara says
The recipe doesn't specify if it's dutch process cocoa or regular cocoa. Dutch process is usually used with baking powder but recipes requiring Dutch process cocoa usually specify. Which cocoa is this recipe intended for?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Sara - I specifically mention that this recipe uses Dutch-processed cocoa in the ingredient section of the blog post. I know some people don't read the post so thanks for your note - I'll add it to the ingredients list as well.
Sara Goldberg says
Thanks! Guilty as charged. On my phone I usually just "jump to recipe" :).
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Totally understand! I do the same. But your comment was super useful - I should have added it to the recipe card.
Beverly says
Thanks for the great recipe. I am just starting to make good use of sourdough in my baking. The soft centers and crisy edges of these cookies are as they say, " THE BOMB . COM " !!! I am baking the Vanilla Crinkle Cookies next.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you love the cookies!