Erin’s Recipe Rundown
I love when Christmas cookies can be both simple to make and irresistibly delicious at the same time. These gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies are exactly that!
This is easily one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipes! I love adding them to a holiday cookie plate to give to neighbors or including them on a dessert spread for parties with friends.
Why You’ll Love It: These soft, fudgy cookies with crackly sugar coating are so easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. The rich chocolate flavor is just too good — it’s hard to eat just one!
Top Tips: Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar, then powdered sugar for a powdery coating that holds up during baking. You’ll get the best crinkle!
For more gluten-free Christmas cookies, try these gluten-free chocolate marshmallow cookies, gluten-free christmas cookies, gluten-free gingerbread cookies, gluten-free shortbread cookies, and gluten-free biscotti.
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Julia: “These are so delicious!! You can’t even tell they’re GF. And taste test approved by non GF family and friends!”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make the gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: For best results, use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend that contains xanthan gum. King Arthur is my favorite!
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using natural cocoa powder in this recipe. It has a sharp, intense flavor and its acidity works with the baking soda for the best texture.
- Granulated/brown sugar: Besides adding sweetness, the granulated sugar helps the cookies spread while the brown sugar adds moisture for the best chewiness. Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
For more gluten-free chocolate recipes, try these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, flourless chocolate cookies, gluten-free chocolate cookies, and gluten-free chocolate cake.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Here’s an overview of how to make these cookies. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Easy dough prep: Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, then set aside.
Using a stand mixer: Beat the butter and sugars until smooth. You can definitely use a hand mixer too!
Light and fluffy: Add the eggs and vanilla, then beat for 2-3 minutes.
Add the dry: Combine the dry mixture into the wet. For even mixing, pause halfway through to scrape the sides and bottom! Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Scoop and roll: I find that 2 tablespoons is the perfect size for the dough balls! Roll them first in granulated sugar, then generously in powdered sugar.
Place and bake: Leave about 2 inches between cookies so they have room to spread and crackle. Bake until the edges are set, but the centers are soft. Cookies can trick you into thinking they need more time, but they firm up more as they cool!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (262g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- ½ cup (41g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- ½ cup (113g) butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Rolling
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, about 2 tablespoons per ball. Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar, then roll generously in the powdered sugar.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the centers are still soft.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2022. It was updated with new instructions in November 2025.
Received recipe today and I. The kitchen making cookies this afternoon. Very easy, beautiful finished and as always another success from one of Erin’s recipes
Hi Donna, so great to hear! Thanks for the review!
I made these years ago and lost your recipe! Sooo glad to see it again. Just printed it and will be warming the kitchen up this afternoon! Love these…and I only keep about 20% of the recipes I try, so that means they are fantastic! Thanks for featuring them again!
How much xanthum gum should we add if we use a blend that does not have it as part of the base?
Hi Jen, we highly recommend using the King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour linked in the ingredients list. We can’t guarantee they will turn out with a different blend that doesn’t have xanthan gum included. If you try it with a different flour, the general recommendation is 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of gluten-free flour.
These are so delicious. Can’t even tell they are gluten free.
Yay! We’re so pleased you loved the cookies! Thank you for your positive feedback, Tehila!
So good! Make them.
Yay! We’re so glad you loved them, Renee! Thank you for the positive feedback.
We just figured out my daughter is wheat intolerant, so this is my first christmas making GF cookies. These are very good and so easy to make! I made a triple batch and baked 1/3 last night for our elementary school teachers who are GF. I froze the rest in balls and plan to make for the week of Christmas! Thanks for all the great recipes.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Sarah! Thank you for your positive feedback. Happy baking!
My cookies did not turn out and ended up in the trash. I need to know a few things: I put in the fridge for 2 hours, they must need longer, because they were hard to roll into balls and stuck to my hands so I had to keep washing my hands in between. I measured 2 Tablespoon balls and they were huge. My cookies ended up like a flat cake in the cookie sheet. I know these have potential but sadly not today 🙁 Even though they looked horrible they tasted yummy so hopeful for next time!
Hi Angie, we’re sorry you had this experience, but we’re glad they still tasted delicious! What kind of flour did you use? The gf flour blend can make a big difference with the wet/dry ratio. Some flour blends won’t hydrate as well or as fast and cause the moisture levels to be off which could lead to sticking and spreading. We’d definitely try chilling the dough longer too. You want the butter to be hard when the dough goes into the oven to prevent spreading. We hope these ideas help!
FABULOUS RECIPE! I unfortunately didn’t have any cocoa powder so I used a packet of organic instant chocolate pudding powder that I had from Whole Foods (Whole Foods brand). And actually it turned out amazing. It gave it more of a light “hot chocolate” flavor instead of the traditional deeper chocolate crinkle cut flavor. But I really really liked it. I bought cocoa powder at the store yesterday so I’m going to make another batch with the proper ingredients. I live at high altitude (7500 ft) and the fact that these cookies didn’t get all flat and weird, and came out perfect and puffed is a miracle in its own right. Will be trying other GF recipes from this blogger!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear how much you loved the recipe! We love the creativity with the cocoa powder sub! Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Christine. We hope your next batch with the cocoa powder turns out even better!
These are so delicious!! You can’t even tell they’re GF. And taste test approved by non GF family and friends!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear they were a hit! Thank you for your positive feedback, Julia. Happy baking!
Making these for neighbors that have an egg allergy. 2 flax eggs work great! Really pleased with how they turned out. Also used Namaste gf flour because it’s what I get at Costco.
Hi Megan, we’re so glad you loved the cookies! It’s great to know those substitutions worked well! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Hi, I just wanted to thank you for telling us about the egg replacer. I read through every comment on every recipe to see if anyone experimented. I will definitely be making them now.
Could you suggest a preferred vegan friendly egg replacement?
Hi Kali, we don’t typically bake with egg replacers. Readers have had luck with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer and similar products in other recipes, though we can’t say for sure how they’ll do in this one. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
If I wanted to add an extract, like mint, how much would you suggest?
Hi Lisa, you could try adding just 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract to the dough and reducing the vanilla by the same amount. Mint extract is strong so start small and adjust to taste. We’d love to hear how it goes!
These are SO GOOD. I had a non gluten free recipe that was our family’s favorite before my celiac diagnosis, but I have to say these are even better. Rich chocolate flavor and not too sweet. I used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 and they were awesome. Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved them, Amanda. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
I haven’t tried the revised recipe but five stars for the original recipe. I wish you didn’t remove it from the website. I’ve been scanning my copy and sending it to friends
I just found out 6 months ago I’m wheat intolerant. I was bummed with Christmas coming up knowing I couldn’t enjoy some of my fav holiday cookies. Well let me just tell you, I have these cookies on the cooling rack, sampled one and literally did a happy dance in my kitchen. I’ve also made your chocolate chip recipe and have peanut butter waiting to go in the oven. You definitely have this gf baking game down to a science and I personally want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for sharing your knowledge and love! Many blessings to you and your family ❤❤❤
Aww I’m so glad the cookies have put a smile on your face! Thanks for the kind words. That makes me so happy to hear! 🙂