Vegan Crinkle Cookies
These vegan holiday cookies are fudgy and so rich! They have soft centre with crunchy edges, they are very easy to make but so stunning to look at. Definitely try these brownie cookies this holiday season!
I had a nightmare with this recipe - I couldn’t get it right. I kept changing the recipe but every time they turned pretty much the same. So I was asking myself why aren’t my crinkle cookies crinkling? Haha, they just didn’t have that stunning look. But in the end I figured it out and here they are! The best brownie-like cookies you’ll ever eat. When you bite into them, they have crunchy edge but they are soft and gooey in the middle. Oh, so delicious.
I don’t know why but crinkle cookies are considered to be holiday cookies. Personally, I would eat them all year round but there is something about these that make them extra for Christmas. So if you’re looking for some easy Christmas baking, these chocolate crinkle cookies are your must.
What ingredients do you need for vegan crinkle cookies?
COCOA POWDER - you can either use cocoa or cacao powder. Chances are (that is if you already have something at home) you have cocoa powder - it is more affordable than cacao and you can find it in majority of supermarkets. Cocoa is more processed than cacao, therefore cacao is a bit more nutritious but it is not that much of a difference, so don’t worry about it.
SPELT FLOUR - I used white spelt flour because it has a bit of nutty flavour but feel free to use all purpose flour.
FLAX SEEDS (ground) - when mixed with water it has similar texture to eggs so that’s why it is in these cookies.
RAPESEED OIL - in baking I like to use rapeseed oil. It has mild flavour so it won’t overpower your cookies but if you don’t have this oil, use any kind of vegetable oil with mild flavour (I can imagine that even mild olive oil might be interesting!)
How to make chocolate crinkle cookies?
Mix flax seeds with 6 tbsp water and let it soak for about 10 minutes.
Sift all dry ingredients (flour, cocoa and baking powder) into a medium bowl.
Whisk until all is well mixed.
In another bowl mix wet ingredients - oil, non-dairy milk and flax seeds mixed with water.
Add wet mixture into the bowl with dry mixture.
Mix until all is well incorporated. Cover the bowl with cling foil and leave it in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better).
Form balls from dough - they should all be similar in size, I weighted them - each ball was 50 grams which is about 2 tbsp.
Roll in icing sugar, transfer onto two lined baking sheets and bake in preheated oven 190 C/170 C (fan) for 12-15 minutes.
Tips and tricks on how to make the best crinkle cookies
My dough is really wet, what to do? That is normal, this dough is a bit more liquid than for other cookies. That is why it is supposed to rest in the fridge - for at least 4 hours but I would recommend overnight or even for 24 hours. You know, cookie dough gets better with more resting time. However if the dough seems too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour.
Can I leave the dough longer than 4 hours in the fridge? Yes, of course. Leave it overnight, for 24 hours or even 48 hours. I wouldn’t go past 48 though. If you change your mind about baking them, you can freeze the dough (look a bit down to find out how).
My cookies are still very soft when taken out of the oven. Like with almost all cookies, these will get harder when cooling down, so don’t worry about it. Leave them to almost cool down on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack.
Icing sugar turned yellowish and/or disappeared. This happens because this cookie dough is quite wet. I recommend first roll the balls of dough and then cover them in sugar all at once. I also read about this trick - first cover the balls of dough in some caster sugar (just a tiny bit) and then icing sugar (this tip is from Sally’s Baking Addiction).
Can crinkle cookies be frozen? Yes! You can either freeze them before or after baking.
How to freeze crinkle cookies before baking: Let the dough chill in the fridge, roll balls (but don’t cover them in icing sugar), put them on a baking sheet (or any flat surface), place into your freezer and after about 2 hours take them out, transfer the balls into a ziplock bag and place back into the freezer. When you’re about to bake them, take them out to let them thaw a bit first, cover in icing sugar and bake.
How to freeze crinkle cookies after baking: Let them cool down completely, put into a ziplock bag and freeze. Eat within 2 months.
How to know when crinkle cookies are done? It is more difficult to know with chocolate cookies. But you know what is great? That these are eggless crinkle cookies! Therefore if they are not completely done, there is no chance they will make you unwell. That said, if you are not sure, just leave them in the oven for the whole 15 minutes.
For more vegan desserts like this be sure to check out:
Vegan Christmas Cookies (Gingerbread like but better)
Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookie
If you make these crinkle cookies, and take photos of it, you can tag me on instagram - @bigbakesmanifesto and use hashtag #bigbakesmanifesto too! I’d love to see you making my recipes. Or follow me on Pinterest, where you can comment and rate my recipes.
Makes 16 cookies
Ingredients
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
40 g cocoa
175 g white spelt flour (or all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
100 ml rapeseed oil (or any vegetable oil with mild taste)
175 g caster sugar
4 tbsp non dairy milk
50 g icing sugar
Method
Mix flax seeds with 6 tbsp water and leave it for about 10 mins.
Sift cocoa, flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and whisk well.
In another bowl mix oil, caster sugar, non dairy milk and flax seeds mixture.
Add wet mixture (oil, milk and flax seeds) into dry ingredients and mix well until it is all incorporated. Cover bowl with cling foil and put it into the fridge. Leave it there for at least 4 hours but overnight is better (at this stage the dough will look quite liquid - that is why we leave it in the fridge, it will get more thick)
Once the cookie dough is rested preheat oven to 190 C/170 C (fan) and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Form a 50 g of the dough (around 2 tbsp) into a ball, then roll in the icing sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining dough, then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment (space them evenly but don’t worry, they won’t spread almost at all).
Bake for 12-15 mins. Take them out of the oven, leave them to cool down on the baking sheets (they will firm up as they cool down). Store them in an airtight box and eat within 5 days.