Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
With an airy texture and intense chocolate flavor, these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies could just be the American cousin to the French Macaron.
American Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
For years, whenever Tim and I would talk about Christmas cookies, his Mom's Chocolate Macaroons were the first to come to mind.
He didn't know the recipe, and hadn't had them in years, but they found a place in his memory and stuck there.
Then, one year we finally asked his mom about the cookies.
Apparently Tim's love for them went way back, because it took quite a bit of digging to find the recipe. But, the excitement once he had it in his hands was contagious.
Chocolate macaroons AKA chocolate crinkle cookies
Why his family calls these macaroons I will never understand. But, apparently that name is common, particularly in families with some German immigrant heritage.
Everywhere else I've heard these referred to as Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
The name may have something to do with the light and airy texture and slightly crisp exterior that makes these a potential American cousin to the French macaron.
In fact, if you dive into the history of macarons/macaroons, you find that they trace their origin back, past France, to Italy. To the cookies that Italians call amaretti.
And, some amaretti are quite crinkly. Just like these chocolate crinkle cookies. (Although, the ingredients in the two cookies aren't incredibly similar.)
Where did crinkle cookies originate?
It is hard to know for sure, but cookie folklore (yes, there is such a thing) attributes them to a woman named Helen Fredell who lived in St. Paul, Minnesota in the beginning of the 20th century.
Apparently she was a friend of Betty Crocker (yes THE Betty Crocker) and served a molasses crinkle cookie to Betty. Betty loved the cookies and asked for the recipe, which she published in her 1957 "Cooky Carnival" cookbook pamphlet.
We don't have this booklet, so we haven't confirmed the story.
Filipino crinkle cookies
We have also been informed by readers that Filipinos love these cookies, and they are quite common among Filipino families as well.
So much so that some claim to us that these cookies are Filipino in origin.
We can't find much information to back up that idea, but it is definitely interesting to note!
No matter the origin, all we really know is that these are quite tasty and worth the addition to your cookie platter or baking up for a tasty chocolate treat.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 c sugar
- ½ c oil
- 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 c powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together sugar, oil, melted chocolate, and vanilla.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir until just combined.
- Cover the dough and chill several hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- When you are ready to make the cookies, roll the dough into balls the size of large grape. Toss the dough ball in a bowl of powdered sugar, to coat.
- Place the powdered dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, spaced 2" apart. (Do not flatten out.) Bake at for 8-12 min until the edge starts to dry out. (When you take them out of the oven they will still look a bit under-done by normal cookie standards.)
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Hello from Massachusetts!
I'm a lifelong chocolate crinkle baker and have recently fallen down the rabbit hole of tracing their history through old cookbooks and family recipes.
I really enjoyed your post—especially the parts about Tim's family's "chocolate macaroons," the Cooky Carnival story, and the Filipino crinkle connection.
I actually have scans of the original Cooky Carnival molasses crinkle recipe and the later Cooky Book chocolate version. If you're ever interested in comparing notes, I'd be happy to share them.
Thanks for sharing the recipe and the family history behind it!
We're glad you enjoyed the article Kate. I would definitely be interested in seeing the original recipes if you wouldn't mind sending them to sarah(at)curiouscuisiniere.com. Thanks!
The only thing is that these cookies are from the Philippines.
Thanks for that information M. We'll look into it.
These look amazing. So glad that your mother-in-law took the time to find the recipe!!