Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Christmas Cookies – Gluten-Free Christmas Treat
If you like a little bit of texture with your sweets like we do, this cookie is a bit addictive.
These chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are an easy gluten-free Christmas bake made with ground almonds, icing sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and milk chocolate chips. Roll the dough in icing sugar for that snowy, crackled top, then bake for 10–12 minutes for crisp edges and soft centres. The recipe makes 12 cookies and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Why these crinkle cookies belong in your Christmas tin
If you want a small bake that feels properly festive without a day in the kitchen, these chewy chocolate crinkle cookies earn their spot. The dough is mixed in one bowl, rolled in icing sugar so it looks like fresh snow, then baked until the tops crack and the centres stay soft and chewy.
They’re rich without being heavy, keep well in a tin, and the recipe uses simple ingredients you’re likely to have on hand in December. They also happen to be naturally gluten free when made with ground almonds, with an easy nut-free option using polenta.
- Makes: 12 chewy chocolate crinkle cookies
- Prep time: 15 minutes (plus 10 minutes resting)
- Cook time: 10–12 minutes
- Good for: Christmas biscuit tins, edible gifts, baking with kids
- Dietary: Naturally gluten free when made with ground almonds (substitute with polenta for a nut-free option)
To prepare the Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Christmas Cookies – Gluten-Free Christmas Treat
1. Heat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C Fan, 400F, Gas 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment if you haven't already.
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine the ground almonds and 80g of icing sugar. Stir until there are no lumps and everything is evenly mixed.
3. Add the Wet Ingredients
Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together into a very thick batter. It will look more like a soft dough than a classic cookie dough.
4. Fold in the Chocolate Chips
Stir in the milk chocolate chips until they're evenly spread though the mixture.
5. Shape and Coat
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, roughly the size of a golf ball. Place some extra icing sugar in a shallow dish. Roll each ball in the icing sugar until well coated, then gently tap off any excess. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2–3 cm between each cookie.
6. Rest the dough balls
Leave the tray at room temperature for about 10 minutes if you can. This short rest lets the dry ingredients hydrate properly, which helps give the cookies their chewy centre and crackled top.
7. Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, turning the tray once halfway through for even baking. The cookies are ready when they are golden brown around the edges with a crackly, snowy top.
8. Cool and serve
Leave the cookies on the tray for a few minutes – they’ll be quite delicate straight from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. As they cool, they’ll firm up but keep that chewy bite in the centre.
Ingredients
Makes 12 cookies
105g ground almonds
(substitute with polenta for a nut-free option)
80g icing sugar, plus extra for rolling
30g egg yolk
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
40g milk chocolate chips
Equipment: 1 x baking sheet, lined with parchment
Christmas Baking Tips
- Nut-free option: Swap the ground almonds for fine polenta for a nut-free version. The texture will be slightly different (a little more crumbly), but you’ll still get a good crinkle and plenty of flavour.
- Extra snowy look: After baking and cooling, you can dust the tops with a final light sprinkle of icing sugar just before serving.
- Flavour twists: A pinch of ground cinnamon or mixed spice in the dry ingredients leans into Christmas flavours without overpowering the chocolate.
- Edible gifting: Pack the cookies in a lined tin or jar, add a hand-written tag with the recipe name, and you’ve got an easy homemade Christmas gift.
Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – FAQs
- Are these chewy chocolate crinkle cookies gluten free?
- Yes. The recipe uses ground almonds instead of flour, so the cookies are naturally gluten free. Always check labels on your ingredients (especially icing sugar and chocolate chips) to confirm they’re made in a gluten-free environment.
- How do I make these cookies nut free?
- You can swap the ground almonds for the same weight of fine polenta. The texture will be a little more crumbly, but the cookies will still bake well and develop a crackled top.
- Can I make the dough ahead of time?
- Roll the dough into balls, coat in icing sugar, then chill on a tray for up to 24 hours. Bring back towards room temperature while the oven heats so they bake evenly and still crinkle nicely.
- Can I freeze chewy chocolate crinkle cookies?
- You can freeze the unbaked dough balls (already rolled in icing sugar) on a tray, then transfer to a container once solid. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time and turning the tray halfway.
- Why didn’t my crinkle cookies crack on top?
- The oven may not have been hot enough, or the dough balls may have been too warm/flat going into the oven. Make sure the oven is fully preheated, roll tight balls, coat generously in icing sugar, and bake on the middle shelf.
Join us at our cookery school to learn how to cook similar dishes
- DCS Annual Christmas Extravaganza! One Day Course
- The Joy of Baking One Day Course
- Edible Gifts Social Evening Course
Give a gift
Our gift vouchers are the perfect present for any food lover
Buy a voucher