Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Everyone loves these chocolate crinkle cookies. Rich, fudgy, and filled with peppermint flavor, these cookies make the perfect addition to your holiday treats. But be careful; they are highly addictive!
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This post was originally published on December 3, 2012. Last updated December 11, 2019
Today we are being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past who is taking us back a handful of years to the first Christmas that I was blogging – back to the days of bad writing, dimly lit photography, and…questionable recipes. To the days that my blog was called The Sweet Life and my twitter handle changed every couple of weeks because anything was better than @thesweetlife5 and I was still trying to figure out what was up with Instagram.
It’s all flashing before my eyes. Ghost of the Christmas Past, why must we go there?
Why? Because in that dark time, my friends, I created a recipe that was going to become one of my most popular recipes ever. It was a cookie that was going to take Pinterest by storm and teach me what the words “going viral” truly meant. This cookie may largely be the reason I am still blogging today.
And so, it’s time to give it a little makeover and remind you of this delicious gem sitting in my archives.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies, y’all!
What is a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie?
First and foremost, chocolate crinkle cookies are, hands-down, the best cookie in the world!
For those of you who haven’t yet had the crinkle cookie experience, it’s time to change that! A vegan crinkle cookie is a delicious combination of a chewy cookie with a crisp outside and all the gooey melt-in-your-mouth fudginess of a vegan brownie. Before they are baked, crinkle cookies are covered in powdered sugar. As they bake, the powdered sugar splits, creating beautiful crinkles in the sugar giving it the cookie’s name.
THEN, if that wasn’t enough, these particular vegan crinkle cookies are made even better with a hint of peppermint extract for, dare I say, the perfect vegan Christmas cookie.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Rich, fudgy, and melt-in-your-mouth good, these cookies might be the best you’ve ever had. But beware, once you bite into one of these incredible cookies, you’re going to have a very hard time stopping.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil – This recipe calls for canola oil because it creates the best texture without added flavor. If you want to avoid hydrogenated oils, try avocado or melted coconut oil. Olive oil also works but adds a slightly savory flavor.
- Granulated & Powdered Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and healthy sugar alternatives.
- Vanilla & Peppermint Extract
- Applesauce – The applesauce acts as the binder for these cookies. You can’t taste the applesauce but if you would prefer a different kind of egg replacer, check out my complete guide on replacing eggs to get a few more ideas.
- All-Purpose Flour – I have also made these cookies with 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend (<<affiliate link) with great success.
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Salt
Recommended Equipment
For all my cookie recipes, I recommend a stand-up mixer. These make whipping, beating, and blending so much easier. However, they are pricy and if they are not in your budget, you can make cookies with by hand or with a handheld mixer.
In addition, you will need basic cooking equipment including a baking sheets, silicone baking mats, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Step One – Make the Dough
In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl stir together cocoa powder, sugar, applesauce, oil, extracts, and peppermint candies (if using) until well blended. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Once your dough has formed, wrap it in in plastic wrap and chill it for at least 2 hours. This is an important step as the dough will be quite soft and hard to handle. However, some readers have had success freezing the dough for about 30-60 minutes until it is cold enough to shape.
Step Two – Bake The Cookies
After the cookies are chilled, roll them into balls about 2 tablespoons big. I recommend using a cookie scoop for this recipe as the dough will become difficult to handle as it warms up.
Coat the cookies in sugar and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the crinkle cookies for 12 minutes until the outside begins to crisp up but the center is still slightly underdone.
Pro Tip: Remove from the oven when the edges have just started to set and the centers are still slightly underdone. This is key for the chewiness of these vegan cookies.
Let the cookies cool 10 minutes on the baking tray before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Serving And Storing
Store Cookies: Once cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Freeze Cookie Dough: If you only want to make only a few at a time, you can store the remaining dough in the freezer. To do this, roll all the dough into balls. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to freeze all the way through. Once frozen, transfer your cookie dough into a large ziplock bag and return to the freezer. You can store the cookies this way for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, remove from freezer and bake!
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking. This allows the dough to be more moldable.
- When rolling your crinkle cookies, roll them in granulated sugar first before rolling them in powdered sugar for the PERFECT crinkle every time.
- If you can’t find vegan peppermint candy, you can omit the peppermint candies and just use peppermint extract for this recipe.
- Vegan white chocolate chips make a great addition. You can buy them online here. (<<affiliate link)
- Pull cookies out when they are slightly underdone. I found 12 minutes to be the perfect baking time. They will continue to harden as they cool, giving you a crispy outside with a deliciously fudgy and chewy center.
Getting the Perfect Crinkle
Friends, I’m going to let you in on a VERY exciting secret.
A couple of years ago I learned a great little trick, thanks to Cook’s Illustrated. To get the PERFECT crinkle on your cookie, first coat the cookie in granulated sugar. This allows the cookie’s surface to dry out quickly before the interior sets, creating more of those beautiful crinkly cracks. The extra layer of sugar also prevents the powdered sugar from melting into the cookie for that stark white on black visual.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Eggnog Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Hazelnut Sandies
- Chocolate-Dipped Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Classic Gingerbread People Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and rate it below.
If you made any substitutions, let us know how it turned out!
Everyone loves these chocolate crinkle cookies. Rich, fudgy, and filled with peppermint flavor, these cookies make the perfect addition to your holiday treats. But be careful; they are highly addictive!
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 123 kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 tbsp peppermint candies, crushed (optional)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a medium bowl or stand up mixer stir together cocoa powder, sugar, applesauce, oil, extracts, and peppermint candies (if using) until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the granulated and powdered sugars in two separate bowls.
- Remove chilled dough and roll into balls about one tablespoon each. Toss first in the granulated and then second in the powdered sugar, coating fully.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes (cookies should be slightly underbaked). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving and Storing - Once cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Make in Advance - If you only want to make only a few at a time, you can store the remaining dough in the freezer. To do this, roll all the dough into balls. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to freeze all the way through. Once frozen, transfer your cookie dough into a large ziplock bag and return to the freezer. You can store the cookies this way for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, remove from freezer and bake!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking. This allows the dough to be more moldable.
- When rolling your crinkle cookies, roll them in granulated sugar first before rolling them in powdered sugar for the PERFECT crinkle every time.
- If you can't find vegan peppermint candy, you can omit the peppermint candies and just use peppermint extract for this recipe.
- Vegan white chocolate chips make a great addition. You can buy them online here.
- Pull cookies out when they are slightly underdone. I found 12 minutes to be the perfect baking time. They will continue to harden as they cool, giving you a crispy outside with a deliciously fudgy and chewy center.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 
Leigh says
These cookies are always a hit. They work beautifully every time I make them. I use peppermint oil instead of extract and add an extra Tbsp of crushed candies (the powdery bits) into the granulated sugar (outer coating). I have even made them with a gluten-free flour (1to1 baking mix) and they’ve worked as well (cooked an extra 2 minutes I think).
Thanks so much for this amazing show stopper Christmas cookie. 🙂
Alexis says
These came out awesome! I had no trouble rolling the dough, it was very easy. They came out beautiful and my picky cookie eaters are loving them. Thanks!!
Alanna says
I made this recipe last year and loved it! I’m planning on making them again this year but do you think I could use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and get the same results?
Sarah says
Yes, I have done both and it works fine.
Joanne Darling says
Just made these cookies for the 1st time. Followed the directions and had no problems. Added extra crushed candy canes for enhanced flavor. Chilled dough for 2 days (busy holidays). Rolled teaspoon size balls. Hands get messy, so used spoons to roll balls in sugars. Used undercooked time tip and they cooled into perfection. My new go to recipe!!! 😋
Brigid says
Did you use unsweetened applesauce or regular applesauce?
Sarah says
Regular, but either would work as long as it’s plain.
Tammy says
So looking forward to making them! How long can these cookies keep on the table and refrigerated? Thanks!
Sarah says
They will stay good for about 5 days at room temperature. I don’t recommend refrigerating them but you could freeze them for up to 1 month.
Eliza says
Two comments:
1. The four hour chill time should be added to the preparation time. I found this tidbit out too late and was on a deadline. Fortunately, 30 minutes in the freezer was enough of a chill time. They turned out perfect; chewy in the middle, and crunchy on the edges. I did double the amount of peppermint candy in them, and feel it could probably be increased a little more to get that extra peppermint taste. I also rotated the cookie trays (top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time)
2. It would be great if the order of the ingredients followed the order of use of those ingredients in the directions.
I would definitely make these again.
Bailey says
I am sad to say these did not work out for me. I couldn’t handle the dough at all (and yes, I chilled the dough). I used a cookie scoop to plop them into the sugar to be able to even touch them. I wound up adding more flour and then pressing it into an 8×8 pan to make brownies. I learned from previous mistakes and another website that candy canes just melt when incorporated into the dough, so I left those out to sprinkle on top. I’ll still put them in my vegan goodie boxes as brownies!
Lredmon2 says
I’m glad you commented about this Bailey. I had the same issue. I even chilled the dough overnight in the refrigerator, used a scooper and rolled in both kind of sugars. They did not rise up like the photos so I am wondering it needed a little more flour
Joy says
Do you think I could chill the cookie dough for 2-3 days before baking? I see that other crinkle cookie recipes say this is fine, but wanted to see your thoughts on this. Btw – I make these every year and my husband loves them!!! But this year, with the addition of a new baby to our family, I’m having trouble getting everything done at the right time like I used to!
Sarah says
Yes, that would be fine! Congrats on the new baby 🙂
Joy says
Hi Sarah! I forgot to come back and comment last year that making the dough a couple of days early and refrigerating it worked perfectly. I’m planning on making these again this year. Would you happen to know if I could I double all the ingredients for a double batch? (I know some recipes don’t work out well by just doubling all ingredients.)
Natalie Sinclair says
I made these last year and loved them so much!! Do you think they would work if I used gluten-free all purpose flour?
Sarah says
Yeah, I think if you use a 1:1 gf flour blend it should work just fine!
Marta says
Gluten free flour works fine, made then that way for celiac friends, and they loved them. New favorites!
Alden says
I had to come on here and leave a review! These were AMAZING! I am now going to make them for a cookie swap and as gifts. Thank you for the recipe! This is going to be a yearly tradition!
Sarah says
I’m so glad!
John says
Amaaazing cookies! I haven’t made cookies in over ten years (probably 15 years) and tried these because I had to bring some cookies to a party. Not only were they super easy to make and foolproof, they were the hit of the party. I didn’t have parchment paper but used a non-stick spray and lightly floured the baking sheet. I also lightly sprinkled them hot out of the oven with a little kosher salt and wow! What a party I. Your mouth! Next time, I might add a little cayenne to spice them up as well. Can’t wait to try these again.
Sarah says
Glad they were a hit!
Lorelie says
Delicious! I did not have applesauce, so i used 3/4 water instead and 2tsp of white vinegar. Still turned out good!
Sue says
I made these cookies a few days ago, and…..OMG! I have never commented on a recipe before, but felt I had to tell you that these may be the best cookies I’ve ever eaten! They are so delicious…and easy to make. I love that they are slightly crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. I’ll definitely make them again – hopefully in time to share them during the holidays next year! Thanks for a great recipe.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Sue. I’m glad they were a hit!
Sideswipe says
Again I have the same problems. I bought the parchment paper and the cookies still turn out flat.
Do you have any ideas what went wrong?
Mary says
I made two batches of these cookies with the same result each time. The cookies fell flat in the oven. The instructions were followed exactly and I made no substitutions to the ingredients. Is there anything that could have caused this?
Darian says
It was fun making, it looks and feels perfect. But right when it comes out it is too pepperminty where I can’t taste the chocolate. I suggest leaving the peppermint extract to half a teaspoon rather than a full. Other than that they are delicious.
Sideswipe says
Can you use Aluminium paper
Sideswipe says
The cookie I bake were bad. I don’t know why, I followed the instruction. Expected thee parchment paper, I us Aluminium paper. Yet the were flat as an pancake. And I bake them in 13 minute.
Sarah says
It sounds like the recipe wasn’t followed exactly. These cookies should be round and pillowy when you pull them out of the oven. It’s unlikely the aluminum paper would have made the so flat on it’s own, but I suppose it’s possible since I’ve never tried that and don’t recommend it. Other than that, without more detail, it’s hard to know what went wrong.
Sarah says
I don’t recommend it. They will cook faster and will get crispy on the bottom. Without having tried it, I wouldn’t now how to adjust temperature and time in the oven.
Aliana says
This recipe is great!! I made them for a cookie exchange where one participant was vegan and they were the hit of all the cookies – vegan or not. The recipe is so simple that I make it with my 2 year old and they come out perfect every time. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Kate says
I used melted coconut oil as I didn’t have any veg oil: as a result the mixture turned out too dry. I added cold water until it came together into a wet dough I could roll and then they turned out just great! Love the flavour combo!
Jessica says
Made these last year with great success! So happy it’s finally time to make Christmas cookies for neighbors again. Such a great, easy recipe. I could eat the entire batch of cookie dough without baking any…
Erika says
Do you think I could use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil?
Sarah says
Yeah, it would change the texture slightly, but not too much.
Dee says
I’m going to make these. One question. Do you really bake them in balls? How do they flatten out and crinkle?
Sarah says
Bake them in balls. They will flatten as they cook. Then when you pull them out of the oven give them a sharp tap on counter to let them settle.
Dee says
Also can I freeze them after baked? Chill first of course. I want to take them away for the holidays with me. And they are AMMAZZZING I must say!!! Great recipe.
Karen says
My son doesn’t like peppermint…can this recipe be made without the extract and crushed candies? Any adjustments needed?
Sarah says
Yeah, no problem. No adjustments need to be made.
Sheila says
These are my favorite cookies ever! (well, tied with rosemary chocolate chip cookies). Everyone loves them and can’t believe they are vegan. Thank you for this recipe and Happy Holidays!
CHRISTEN says
I am going to try these, thank you. My only concern is table sugar is not deemed vegan. White sugars are refined with animal bones. I would also be concerned with the ingredients in the peppermint candy that might not be vegan (the sugar and possible gelatin). Other than that, these look and sound delicious. I will try them, with minor substitutions and then leave a review. I just love the look of crinkle cookies. I will skip the candies and use unrefined Mexican sugar.
Sarah says
There is some granulated sugar that is vegan as well as peppermint candy. You can research which brands or find ones that are labeled “vegan”.
Sam Chen says
These are incredible. First of all, I love that the ingredients are not ‘weird’ or hard to find, like a few vegan cookie recipes I have. This is easily going to be my go-to Christmas cookie. I may have portioned mine too small (A level TBSP, but not rounded?), because I ended up with 80, but it worked out perfectly for our plans. I froze them in prerolled cookie balls, like you recommended in a comment, and I will make half for one party, and use the rest on Christmas Eve for another party. I can’t stress enough how delicious these were. The perfect combo of chocolate and peppermint. My little boys call them ‘snow cookies’ because of the appearance.
Thank you for the lovely, easy-to-make, recipe that will easily be a family favorite for years.
Anna / At Lifestyle Crossroads says
This is just what I needed for the holiday season! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe! Happy holidays!
Jena says
I was just wondering how many calories per cookie these were?
Deborah says
Is Herseherys 100%cocoa ok to use in this recipe
Sarah says
Yeah, that should be fine.
Josh Simons says
These are awesome cookies — everyone in the family loved them, both vegans and non-vegans. I paired these with Chandra’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles (which have cayenne pepper — which I reduce by half for a more subtle heat) to make a Fire and Ice cookie offering. Good for Christmas, but maybe also for a Game of Thrones party. 🙂
Madeleine says
These look so great, and I’d love to give them out as Christmas treats! I just have one question: How long/well do they keep?
Andrea says
I have the same question. Everyone loved these so much last year that I’ll be baking a ton of them as gifts this year. Would love to know how long they’ll keep.
Sarah says
They would be best within 3-5 days. However, you could make the dough and freeze it, then bake them freshly throughout the season.
Isabella says
I just made these a couple hours ago, and they turned out really well! Next time, I might add a little more peppermint extract, since I didn’t use any crushed candy cane. I would definitely recommend this recipe!
Missy says
Yummy! Just made these. Didn’t have any peppermint extract so just did the candy cane crumbles.
Cara Jeanne says
I tried making the dough again, and the same problem! Not as crumbly as the first batch, probably because I added about 1/4 more applesauce. It’s definitely not holding together like a sticky wet dough though. I definitely followed the recipe exactly!
Sarah says
I’m really confused about this. The only other person (that I know of) who has had problems with this recipe told me the dough was so wet they couldn’t roll it into balls. My best two guesses for this problem are: the wetness of the applesauce might vary enough to affect the recipe (I use store bought applesauce that is pretty wet) and if the flour is packed in too tightly when measuring (which is why the best method of writing baking recipes is with weight rather than volume). Neither of these I would think would affect the dough dramatically, but perhaps both of them could cause a dry dough. Altitude I suppose also could play a factor. Next time you can try to measure the flour by sifting it into a cup measure. You could also just add a little liquid to the recipe if you continue to run into the problem. I hope this helps!
Cara Jeanne says
When I made this dough, it was very crumbly, and not dough-like at all. When I put it in saran-wrap to chill, I sort of formed it into a ball and it came together a little bit better. Will it be okay to bake?
Sarah says
I’m thinking you might have miscalculated some of the wet ingredients (or perhaps added a little too much dry) because the dough should be fairly sticky and wet. I’m not sure how they will bake up, but they won’t have the fudgy middles like crinkle cookies did. If you try again and get the same results, we can figure out what’s going on.
Michelle says
I just made these for my neighbors using a gluten free flour and they turned out awesome! I also made another batch of dough for more cookies but I think I overestimated how many I would need… Can I freeze the extra dough? Thank you, happy holidays 🙂
Sarah says
Glad you liked them! You can totally freeze the extra dough. What I would recommend is rolling them out into balls, freezing them on baking trays and then when they are frozen all the way through transferring them to a large ziplock bag. You don’t have to do this, but the dough will take so long to thaw once it’s frozen, that it would be nice to have the pre-rolled cookies ready to go.
Remi says
These were great. Even my mum’s boyfriend who usually frowns on my vegan baking thought these were amazing. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I will definitely make these again.
Kristin says
These are amazing! My second-grade son made the batter and then we all helped roll and sugar coat them. We cheated on the chilling time and they stilled turned out GORGEOUS and delicious! I think they are a new favorite Christmas cookie! Thank you, Sarah!
Cameron says
Mine didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as yours but these are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them! Thanks for the recipe!
Liz says
Can the dough sit longer then four hours? Like maybe overnight?
Sarah says
Sure, that would be just fine.
Anna from Withinwire says
Good Instructions! Turned out good except for my taste the peppermint extract was too strong. I would have halved it if I had known. Hopefully the people I’m giving these to enjoy them!
Sarah says
I’m sorry you felt they were too pepperminty! Are you sure you were using peppermint extract and not peppermint oil? I just have to ask because I nor my taste testers have experienced the cookies overwhelming in the peppermint. But everyone does have there different tastes 🙂
Stephanie says
Love this! What a great recipe…thanks for sharing!!!
Lisa says
Your photography is so great! I love the touch of the red fabric under your cooling racks in the first picture. Mark got inspired, and is making chocolate crinkle cookies for his students…
Sarah says
I hope they love them as much as I do!
Mary Beth says
Oh my. These are perfect. I was really craving a mint chocolate dessert and these really hit the spot. Some dark chocolate chips ‘accidentally’ fell into the batter and were a great addition!
Jo@foodepix.com says
These cookies look amazing. I would love for you to come and share your gorgeous pictures with us at foodepix.com.
Sarah says
I will check it out!
Jodye @ Chocolate and Chou Fleur says
Chocolate crinkle cookies are the best! I love your addition of peppermint – because really, who doesn’t like chocolate and peppermint together. It’s a close second to chocolate and peanut butter. I’ve always loved peppermint bark on Xmas, and I’ve started making my own with homemade vegan white chocolate! I’m also a sucker for gingerbread, so that always makes an appearance on my table in one way or another.
Ellen says
I am making these at this moment!