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Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

December 11, 2019 96 Comments

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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!
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!
You won't believe these rich and fudgey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are vegan! Made with peppermint extract and fresh peppermint candies for a chocolate/mint combination everyone will love. #vegan #chocolatecookies #vegancookes #christmascookies

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!

Stack of vegan chocolate crinkle cookies

This post contains affiliate links. For more information please see my privacy policy.
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!

Vegan chocolate crinkle cookies

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.

Flour and cocoa powder in a bowl

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CRINKLE COOKIES

The good news is that these cookies are incredibly easy to make! If you can mix, roll, and bake then I’m sure you’ve got this down.

STEP ONE – MAKE THE COOKIE 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.

Note: The applesauce acts as the binder (egg replacer). 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. Other recommendations for these cookies are: chickpea flour eggs, flax eggs, and silken tofu.

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.

Chocolate cookie dough rolled in sugar

Crinkle cookies on baking sheet

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. Pulling them out when they are slightly underdone is essential for that fudgy inside. 

Let the cookies cool 10 minutes on the baking tray before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

GETTING THE PERFECT CRINKLE ON YOUR COOKIE

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.

You can read about the science behind all that here. It’s pretty interesting stuff and I was thrilled to see the difference when I started making my crinkle cookies this way.

vegan chocolate crinkle cookies

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES

  • 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.
  • Once cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Stack of vegan chocolate crinkle cookies

MORE VEGAN CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES

Here are a few of my favorite vegan Christmas recipes:

  • Vegan Eggnog Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
  • Hazelnut Sandies
  • Chocolate-Dipped Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
  • Classic Gingerbread People Cookies

Get all of my Christmas cookie recipes here.

There you have it! Beautiful, chewy cookies that make the perfect Christmas gift or a sweet treat at your next holiday gatherings.

Stack of vegan chocolate crinkle cookies

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!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Chill Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 32 mins
 
4.76 from 29 votes
Stack of vegan chocolate crinkle cookies
Print
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 123 kcal
Author: My Darling Vegan
Ingredients
Crinkle Cookies
  • 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)
Sugar Coating
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. 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.

  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the granulated and powdered sugars in two separate bowls.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 123 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 33mg1%
Potassium 75mg2%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 16g18%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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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 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan.

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Comments

  1. Mary says

    December 24, 2017 at 7:28 PM

    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?

    Reply
  2. Darian says

    December 24, 2017 at 5:24 PM

    3 stars
    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.

    Reply
  3. Sideswipe says

    December 23, 2017 at 7:15 PM

    Can you use Aluminium paper

    Reply
    • Sideswipe says

      December 23, 2017 at 7:19 PM

      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.

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        December 24, 2017 at 7:56 AM

        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.

        Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 24, 2017 at 7:51 AM

      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.

      Reply
  4. Aliana says

    December 23, 2017 at 11:58 AM

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  5. Kate says

    December 22, 2017 at 2:28 PM

    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!

    Reply
  6. Jessica says

    December 21, 2017 at 9:29 PM

    5 stars
    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…

    Reply
  7. Erika says

    December 21, 2017 at 5:51 PM

    Do you think I could use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 22, 2017 at 11:17 AM

      Yeah, it would change the texture slightly, but not too much.

      Reply
  8. Dee says

    December 21, 2017 at 6:48 AM

    I’m going to make these. One question. Do you really bake them in balls? How do they flatten out and crinkle?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 21, 2017 at 8:36 AM

      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.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 21, 2017 at 5:13 PM

        5 stars
        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.

        Reply
  9. Karen says

    December 20, 2017 at 12:27 PM

    My son doesn’t like peppermint…can this recipe be made without the extract and crushed candies? Any adjustments needed?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 20, 2017 at 12:29 PM

      Yeah, no problem. No adjustments need to be made.

      Reply
  10. Sheila says

    December 20, 2017 at 12:10 PM

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  11. CHRISTEN says

    December 18, 2017 at 2:22 PM

    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.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 18, 2017 at 3:41 PM

      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”.

      Reply
  12. Sam Chen says

    December 15, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  13. Anna / At Lifestyle Crossroads says

    December 10, 2017 at 4:35 AM

    5 stars
    This is just what I needed for the holiday season! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe! Happy holidays!

    Reply
  14. Jena says

    December 8, 2017 at 12:24 PM

    I was just wondering how many calories per cookie these were?

    Reply
  15. Deborah says

    November 26, 2017 at 6:41 AM

    Is Herseherys 100%cocoa ok to use in this recipe

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      November 27, 2017 at 2:48 PM

      Yeah, that should be fine.

      Reply
  16. Josh Simons says

    December 31, 2016 at 9:16 AM

    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. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Madeleine says

    November 24, 2015 at 6:42 AM

    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?

    Reply
    • Andrea says

      November 19, 2017 at 10:27 AM

      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.

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        November 20, 2017 at 10:26 AM

        They would be best within 3-5 days. However, you could make the dough and freeze it, then bake them freshly throughout the season.

        Reply
  18. Isabella says

    July 14, 2015 at 2:53 PM

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  19. Missy says

    January 27, 2015 at 1:30 PM

    4 stars
    Yummy! Just made these. Didn’t have any peppermint extract so just did the candy cane crumbles.

    Reply
  20. Cara Jeanne says

    December 22, 2014 at 5:06 PM

    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!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 23, 2014 at 3:52 PM

      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!

      Reply
  21. Cara Jeanne says

    December 21, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    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?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 22, 2014 at 7:09 AM

      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.

      Reply
  22. Michelle says

    December 19, 2014 at 4:03 PM

    5 stars
    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 19, 2014 at 4:27 PM

      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.

      Reply
  23. Remi says

    December 17, 2014 at 5:17 PM

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  24. Kristin says

    December 11, 2014 at 5:32 PM

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  25. Cameron says

    December 15, 2013 at 12:26 PM

    Mine didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as yours but these are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  26. Liz says

    December 19, 2012 at 6:41 AM

    Can the dough sit longer then four hours? Like maybe overnight?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 19, 2012 at 3:31 PM

      Sure, that would be just fine.

      Reply
  27. Anna from Withinwire says

    December 17, 2012 at 3:23 AM

    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!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 17, 2012 at 4:09 AM

      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 🙂

      Reply
  28. Stephanie says

    December 13, 2012 at 2:02 PM

    Love this! What a great recipe…thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply
  29. Lisa says

    December 13, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    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…

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 13, 2012 at 6:13 PM

      I hope they love them as much as I do!

      Reply
  30. Mary Beth says

    December 9, 2012 at 8:57 PM

    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!

    Reply
  31. Jo@foodepix.com says

    December 3, 2012 at 4:42 PM

    These cookies look amazing. I would love for you to come and share your gorgeous pictures with us at foodepix.com.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 3, 2012 at 5:41 PM

      I will check it out!

      Reply
  32. Jodye @ Chocolate and Chou Fleur says

    December 3, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    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.

    Reply
  33. Ellen says

    December 3, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    I am making these at this moment!

    Reply
Newer Comments »

Trackbacks

  1. Questions on Vegan Recipes For Kids Your Questions About Vegan Cake Pops | Questions on Vegan Recipes For Kids says:
    January 20, 2013 at 7:31 AM

    […] Susan asks…Can I use Vegan white chocolate chips in place of candy melts when making cake pops?My …-content"> […]

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  2. Hazelnut Sandies | The Sweet Life says:
    December 7, 2012 at 4:09 AM

    […] now my freezer is starting to get pretty full of crinkle cookies, truffles, brittle, pound cake, and more. Oh Sweet Christmas, it really is a delicious time of […]

    Reply

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