These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are easily one of my favorite recipes ever.
I know, that’s very high praise. But if you make this recipe, you’ll see exactly why I love it so much.
These healthy chocolate crinkle cookies are essentially soft, decadent brownies in cookie form.
They’re soft and moist inside, and yet the outside has a slight crisp to them. If you like brownies with crackly tops (who doesn’t?) then you’re going to LOVE these chocolate crinkle cookies.
Each of these cookies is only 85 calories, contains 5g of protein, and is completely gluten-free!
I’ve made these healthy crinkle cookies for the past few years now, and it’s the one recipe I most look forward to during the Christmas season.
How to make healthy chocolate crinkle cookies
Since we’re making a chocolate crinkle cookie with a healthy twist, the way we prepare it is a bit different than traditional crinkle cookies.
We’re going to mix up a pretty straightforward cookie dough for this healthy recipe, with the two key ingredients (aside from the protein powder) being dark chocolate and peanut butter.
When melted together, they create a smooth and creamy fat source that is necessary for these cookies.
If you have a peanut allergy, any nut butter will work in its place, but the peanut butter will give us the best bang for our buck in terms of protein!
To make the chocolate cookie dough, we’re going to mix the melted chocolate with the rest of our ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, applesauce, and baking soda (NOT baking powder).
Notice how I did not say protein powder- that was on purpose. To create the best cookie dough consistency without it becoming too sticky, I always like to add the protein powder as the very last ingredient. If you don’t do this, the cookies will still turn out, but it makes working with the cookie dough much easier.
Once you’ve mixed up your cookie dough, you’ll have to let it chill in the fridge for one hour.
Since the “crinkle” effect is so important for these cookies, chilling is essential. Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, allowing us to create that crackly effect after they are baked.
If you skip the chilling process, your cookies will spread thinner and you won’t achieve the same crinkle effect.
Once the dough has chilled, we’re going to roll 8 cookie dough balls and generously coat them in powdered sugar substitute (or regular confectioners sugar).
These cookie dough balls should look just like Chocolate Donut Holes at this point (and you can technically eat them at this point if you truly can’t help yourself since the chocolate cookie dough is safe to eat raw).
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes.
When the cookies come out of the oven, they’re going to look very puffy and cakey…
Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal.
While the cookies are still warm and soft, using your hands (or a spatula) to gently press down the tops of the chocolate cookies to create that crinkle effect.
Don’t squish the cookies completely flat, because we still want there to be a soft & gooey interior to them. Just a little bit of pressure is all you need to press the tops of these chocolate crinkle cookies down.
Allow the cookies to cool for roughly 10 minutes to firm up inside, then they are ready to be enjoyed.
If you have leftovers, you can keep these cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
I’ve found that if left uncovered, the exterior retains a slight crisp, but you run the risk of the cookies drying out. When stored in an airtight container, the cookies will become a bit softer, but they will remain fresh for days.
More chocolate recipes to enjoy
Ready to get chocolate wasted? While these chocolate crinkle cookies are truly my favorite chocolate recipe on the blog, I have plenty more chocolatey recipes to satisfy your cravings. Here are some of my favorites that are worth checking out:
Instructions
- Add the peanut butter and dark chocolate to a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
- Add to a large mixing bowl along with all of the other chocolate cookie ingredients EXCEPT the protein powder (that ingredient needs to be added last for proper consistency). Mix everything up until it forms a thick & sticky dough.
- Mix in your protein powder last to thicken the mixture into a workable cookie dough. You may need to use your hands to mix until there is no dry powder left.
- Refrigerate the dough for one hour to firm up. Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too thin during the baking process.
- After the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Break off small pieces of the dough and roll them into balls before placing them on a cookie sheet. I made 8 cookies out of my dough, but you can make more or less depending on the size you would like.
- Roll each dough ball in powdered sugar to completely coat, then bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press the cookies down with your fingers or a spatula to flatten them and create the crinkle effect.
- Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes to firm up inside, then enjoy!
Notes
- PEScience Chocolate Truffle protein made the BEST version of these cookies, but I have also used the vanilla flavor for a solid result. That obviously leads to a less rich chocolate flavor, but it still works great.
- The protein powder I use (PEScience) is a blend of whey & casein protein. In my experience, this works best for cookies. You can likely use 100% whey, but the resulting cookie may be dry. You can check out my protein powder substitution guide here, and you can save 10% on PEScience protein using the code “Matt”
- If you cannot eat peanut butter, you can use any other type of butter in its place. I find the peanut butter & chocolate combo to work great, but regular butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, etc, should all work.
- I use brown sugar in these cookies to help retain moisture, but you can use granulated sugar, like coconut sugar, if that’s what you have.
- I don’t count the sugar substitute in my carb totals, so be sure to include those in your calculations if you are very strict about carbs.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8
Serving Size 1 Crinkle Cookie
Amount Per Serving
Calories 85Total Fat 4gCarbohydrates 9gProtein 5g
