Description
These Patriotic Crinkle Cookies bring a festive red and blue twist to classic chocolate crinkle cookies. Soft, fudgy, and perfectly cracked on top, they’re easy to make and ideal for celebrations like Independence Day. The dough is split and colored with red and blue gel food coloring, then rolled in powdered sugar before baking to create the signature crinkled pattern.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Additional
- Red gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined and free of lumps.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate large bowl, cream the room temperature unsalted butter with both the granulated sugar and powdered sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture in the cookies.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth and fully incorporated, ensuring an even flavor throughout the dough.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until a uniform dough forms, being careful not to overmix to keep cookies tender.
- Divide and Color Dough: Split the dough evenly into two separate bowls. Add red gel food coloring into one and blue gel food coloring into the other, mixing thoroughly to ensure vibrant, even colors.
- Form Dough Balls and Coat: Shape the colored dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar to get the classic crinkle effect while baking.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the tops are cracked and the edges are set but the centers remain soft.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy these festive, tender crinkle cookies fresh or store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Gel food coloring is recommended for vibrant colors without altering dough consistency.
- For more intense color, add gel food coloring a drop at a time until desired shade is reached.
- Do not overbake to keep the centers soft and fudgy.
- Rolling the dough balls in powdered sugar is essential for the signature crinkled appearance.
- These cookies freeze well; store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
