Fudge Crinkles

5 from 12 votes

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Fudge Crinkles are an easy Christmas cookie recipe that anyone can make!

It is the holiday season.  Here in the Midwest, especially this year, it is the snow season, the very, very cold season, the shopping season, and, for most of us, the pinnacle of the cookie season.

A stack of Christmas Cookies.

Cake Mix Christmas Cookies

Today we’re going to make Fudge Crinkle Cookies, one of the easiest Christmas cookies you’ll ever bake!

These aren’t just any cookies; they’re Cake Mix Cookies, which means we use a cake mix to make our cookie dough. It’s a super cool trick that makes these cookies extra special and very delicious. They’re perfect for Christmas, or any day when you crave something sweet and chocolate.

Aside from the convenience of using a cake mix, these yummy cookies feature one of our favorite flavors: Fudge! You’ll find this decadent flavor in such other goodies like this fudgy brownie recipe and our hot chocolate fudge.

If you’re wondering why these cake mix cookies are called crinkles, I can help explain that to you.

Chocolate Crinkles get their name from the unique way the powdered sugar, also known as confectioners or icing sugar, creates a “crinkled” or “cracked” appearance on the surface as they bake. This fun effect happens when the sugar splits open, allowing bits of the soft, fudge-like chocolate cookie underneath to peek through.

Fudge Crinkle Ingredients (and notes)

  • 1 box (18 1/4 ounces) devil’s food cake mix: This is what turns our Fudge Crinkle Cookies into Cake Mix Cookies! It gives them a rich, chocolaty taste.
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil: This keeps our Easy Christmas Cookies nice and moist.
  • 2 large eggs: Eggs help stick everything together in our Cake Mix Cookies.
  • Confectioners’ sugar for rolling: This sugar makes our Fudge Crinkle Cookies look like they’re covered in snow!

Recipe Tip

For the best Fudge Crinkle Cookies, we suggest using Betty Crocker super moist cake mix, but any devil’s food cake mix will work.

Why You’ll Love These

  • Very Easy: These Fudge Crinkle Cookies are some of the easiest Christmas cookies you’ll ever make.
  • Super Fun to Make: Rolling the Cake Mix Cookie dough in sugar feels like playing with snow.
  • So Delicious: These Cake Mix Cookies are soft, chocolaty, and totally irresistible.
  • Great for Sharing: You can make lots of these Easy Christmas Cookies and share the joy with friends and family.
A chocolate crinkle cookie on a spatula.

There are date-filled cookies, no-bakes, there are ginger cookies, peanut butter cookies, there are chocolate chip cookies, and of course, what is perhaps the king of all Christmas and holiday cookies, the sugar cookie.

And then of course, we have cake mix cookie recipes, like this fudge crinkle.

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Substitutions and Variations

  • Different Cake Mixes: Feel free to experiment with other cake mix flavors in your Fudge Crinkle Cookies.
  • Extra Fun Add-Ins: Toss in some chocolate chips or colorful sprinkles into your fudge crinkle dough.
  • Sugar Colors: Try using colored sugar to roll your Fudge Crinkle Cookies for a festive twist!
  • Size Options: You can make your Easy Christmas Cookies bigger by using larger dough balls, just remember this will make fewer cookies.

Our cookie oven (which also happens to be our pizza oven, casserole oven, prime rib oven, and all-baked things oven) did a trial run last night with a new-to-me cookie idea. 

Using just four ingredients, this cake mix Christmas cookie recipe is fast to make, and as we found out – it is delicious. Be sure to add this fudge crinkle cookie to your holiday baking list!

Some chocolate crinkle cookies.

These fudge crinkle cookies use a cake mix as a primary ingredient. Don’t let that sway you. If you are looking for a great cookie, it tastes nothing like cake. 

They are soft, they are dunkable, and they are as easy on the eye as they are on the palate.  Try these; perhaps you will have found a new holiday standard!

Common Recipe Questions

Can I use a different kind of cake mix for these cookies?

Absolutely! While we use devil’s food cake mix for our classic Fudge Crinkle Cookies, feel free to experiment with other flavors. Chocolate, vanilla, or even strawberry cake mix can be used. Just remember, the flavor of the cake mix will change the taste of your cookies.

What if I don’t have confectioners’ sugar for rolling the cookies?

Confectioners’ sugar gives these Cake Mix Cookies their unique, snowy look. However, if you don’t have any, you can bake the cookies without rolling them in sugar. They won’t have the white, crinkled appearance, but they’ll still be delicious! For a different twist, you could also try rolling them in granulated sugar or colored sugar sprinkles for a festive touch.

Why didn’t my chocolate crinkle cookies crack?

If your chocolate crinkle cookies didn’t crack, it’s likely due to two main reasons: either your oven wasn’t hot enough, or the baking powder you used was no longer fresh. To fix this, make sure to preheat your oven thoroughly before baking, giving it enough time to reach the right temperature. Also, check your baking powder’s expiration date and use a new container if needed for best results.

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Fudge Crinkles

5 from 12 votes
Fudge Crinkles are an easy holiday cookie you can make using a cake mix! Be sure and add these to your holiday cookie exchange this year!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 18 1/4 ounce box devil’s food cake mix.
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • confectioners’ sugar  for rolling

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Stir (by hand) dry cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms.
  • Dust hands with confectioners’ sugar and shape dough into 1″ balls.
  • Roll balls in confectioners’ sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is JUST SET.
  • Remove from pans after a minute or so and cool on wire racks.

Notes

Betty Crocker super moist cake mix is what is suggested for this recipe.
For more crinkles (or cracks,) roll larger dough balls, up to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Allowing ther dough balls to dry slighly before rolling them in the sugar seems to result in less sugar being absorbed into the cookie thus resulting in more of a white powder coating on the finished product.
Stop by the Delicious Virtual Cookie Party Going on at the Link Below!!

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 305mg, Potassium: 36mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 40IU, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Our Best Christmas Cookies


Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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28 Comments

  1. Well Dan I have a story for you. I tried making these once and stupid me even posted them, even though they taste good, there were no crinkles and mostly every comment I had was Where’re the crinkles. I am pretty sure I will be redeeming myself now because your’s are perfection and I cant wait to give them another try! !

  2. 5 stars
    These cookies look wonderful!! I might make these for our next ski trip!! Thanks for sharing them with us at Foodie Fridays…I’ll be spreading some foodie love around for you! Hope you had a wonderful holiday and wishing you a fabulous 2015 as well!

  3. I’m with you Dan, mostly an eater these days than a baker! lol… and it doesn’t help when they go right to my hips! Love these fudge crinkles! Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Thanks for your comments, and I don’t know about you but the older I get, the more inclined I am to say, “Bring it on.” The food that is 🙂

  4. These are totally adorable Dan! I love how you “dressed” these cookies up. 🙂 Chocolate crinkles is one of my favorite cookies. YUM! 🙂 Have a great week!

  5. I can and sometimes do make cookies, but Mrs K R is such a great baker, that more often than not she does it. Plus she loves it! These are such a great cookie, and perfect for this time of the year. Thanks.

  6. G’day! I have always wanted to try these cookies, true!
    Now they are higher up on my list to do! Great photo too!
    Viewed as part of Foodie Friends Friday Christmas Cookie Exchange
    Cheers! Joanne
    @mickeydownunder

  7. A Christmas cookie classic! These look awesome, Dan. I love that you used a boxed mix, too! Keeping it easy is totally my style. You rocked ’em!

  8. Thanks for linking these up to Foodie Friend Friday Cookie Exchange Party. We have a party each with, usually with a different theme and would love if you came back.