Description

These gluten free chocolate cardamom crinkle cookies are rich, fudgy, and tender with aromatic cardamom and orange zest shining through in every bite. Rolled in powdered sugar for their signature crackly tops, these easy chocolate cookies require a couple of hours of chilling time and are especially lovely for holiday baking.

Ingredients

Scale

for the cookies

1 teaspoon orange zest, from one medium orange
⅓ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
¼ cup vegetable oil, or other neutral tasting oil
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (160 grams) gluten free measure for measure flour
½ cup (40 grams) Dutch process cocoa
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

for coating

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

Add the orange zest and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar for about 30-60 seconds until very fragrant. Add the brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix on medium low with the paddle attachment until the sugars are evenly moistened with the oil.
Add one egg and mix on medium low until combined, then scrape the bottom of the bowl and do the same with the second egg.
Sift the flour, cocoa, cardamom, baking powder, and salt into a bowl to help remove any lumps. With the mixer running on low, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until the dough forms and there are no longer streaks of flour visible in the dough. The dough will look almost like a thick and stiff brownie batter.
Place the dough in a bowl, then cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the granulated sugar for coating to a small bowl and the powdered sugar to a separate small bowl.
Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to scoop up portions of the dough, then roll them into a ball. Coat them in the granulated sugar first, then coat them in the powdered sugar. Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Once you have the first tray filled, put it on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 10-13 minutes until just set around the edges, then remove from the oven. While the first tray bakes, roll and coat the rest of the cookie dough and place it on the second baking sheet. Once the first sheet comes out of the oven, put in the second one and bake 10-13 minutes (until the edges are just set).
Cool the baked cookies on the baking sheets for at least 15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. I prefer to just let them cool on the baking sheets so there’s less to wash!
Store leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for the best texture.

Notes

I highly recommend measuring out the flour and cocoa powder by weight, not volume. If you have to measure by volume, fluff up the flour or cocoa with a spoon first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. Level off the top, scraping off any excess, before adding it to the dry ingredients

Keep in mind that the cookies will puff up as they bake then deflate some once they come out of the oven.

You can chill the dough for up to two days. Make sure it is tightly covered with plastic wrap to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

I like to use a 1-ounce cookie scoop for these because it’s the perfect size. If you don’t have a 1-ounce scoop, you can use a tablespoon measure to scoop up two tablespoons of dough, then roll them together into a ball.

The easiest (and least messy!) way to coat the balls of cookie dough in the powdered sugar is with a spoon. Use the spoon to gently move the ball of dough around to help coat it generously in the powdered sugar.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Dough Chilling Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 26 minutes
Category: Dessert