It’s Christmas cookie time! Every year I make at least one type of Christmas cookie. It’s a fun tradition and they make an easy, super inexpensive gift (who doesn’t like cookies?!). This year I made these awesome Chocolate Cayenne Crinkles that have all the spicy cocoa flavor of my favorite Aztec Cocoa in a light, chewy cookie.
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I saw these Flourless Chocolate Cookies on Cooking Classy and immediately wanted to make them. There are only a few simple ingredients and they looked a lot like the delicate and delicious shell of a macaron. I love how the exterior of a macaron is shiny and thin, but the inside is kind of dense and chewy. That’s exactly how this entire cookie is. YUM!
I wanted to put my own spin on the Flourless Chocolate Cookie, so I decided to add some cayenne pepper. Cayenne and cocoa is an age old duo and one that I can’t get enough of. You can leave the cayenne out and do a plain chocolate cookie, if you desire, or try replacing some of the vanilla extract with peppermint extract for a sort of mint hot cocoa effect. Cinnamon could also work (a chocolatey alternative to snickerdoodles, maybe?) You could even top them with crushed candy canes. Fun, right?
YAY, Christmas cookies!
Chocolate Cayenne Crinkles
Servings 20 cookiesIngredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar ($0.54)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.48)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.05)
- 2 large egg whites ($0.42)
- 1 large whole egg ($0.21)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)
- 1 cup chocolate chips ($0.91)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper until evenly combined.
- Add the egg whites, whole egg, and vanilla extract to the powdered sugar mixture. Carefully stir the mixture until all of the powdered sugar has dissolved into the eggs and a very thick batter forms. It may seem like there is not enough moisture to stir in all the powdered sugar, but keep stirring and it will eventually melt in. The mixture will be very thick and stiff, so use a strong spoon. Add the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the batter, one heaping tablespoon at a time, onto the baking sheets. Be sure to leave a couple inches between each cookie because they will spread. (I suggest ten cookies per sheet.)
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 14 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and cracked over the surface. Allow the cookies to cool before removing from the parchment.
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How to Make Chocolate Cayenne Crinkles – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a LARGE bowl, combine 3 cups powdered sugar, 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. If you’re scared of the spiciness, start with 1/4 tsp cayenne. Make sure the dry ingredients are very well mixed. Hint: use a bowl with steep sides, or you’ll get powdered sugar everywhere.
Add two large egg whites, one whole egg, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Begin to carefully stir these into the powdered sugar mixture. You can use a whisk at first, but it will soon get too thick and you’ll need to switch to a spoon.
As you stir the eggs and vanilla into the powdered sugar it will seem like there’s not enough moisture to make it work (I went back and checked the recipe THREE times to make sure…), but just keep stirring and eventually all of the powdered sugar will melt into it. The batter becomes very thick and stiff.
Stir in one cup of chocolate chips. I happened to have some leftover mini-chocolate chips, so I used those.
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the batter onto the sheets in heaping tablespoons, about ten per sheet. Leave a couple of inches between each cookie for them to spread while baking.
Bake one sheet at a time for 14 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and cracked along the top (they deflate upon cooling). Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the parchment.
Enjoy the warm chocolatey goodness and the sassy kick of cayenne!
Trying to use up leftover candy canes from the holidays. Would you sprinkle crushed candy canes on cookies before or just after baking? Or would it not work with this recipe?
I’ve made this recipe many times. They usually come out great, just like the pictures. But the last few times I’ve had the runny batter problem, despite VERY careful measurements. What’s going on? Are large eggs larger than they used to be? I see other people have had this problem as well. (They taste ok but are thinner and they don’t all “crinkle” properly, though some do. They are also quite sticky; I can’t remember if they were that way when they came out correctly too.)
I’m unsure what the problem could be (re: runny batter), as the recipe has been tested many many times and have not had that issue. As far as crinkling goes, make sure your oven is up to temp by using an oven thermometer. XOXO -Monti
I just ran into the same thing! As you note, I followed the exact same recipe, years ago, but the batter was way runnier this time.
That is really, really strange, y’all! Thanks for letting us know. The batter shouldn’t be runny at all. As you’ve said, you made it before, and know that! It could definitely be the eggs…especially if you aren’t buying the same brand you used to buy. (No shame, I’m not either!) Generally, watery eggs are a sign that they are older, haven’t been stored at the correct temperature, or are a lower “grade.” Your favorite brand could also be trying to compensate for the shortage by purchasing eggs from unusual suppliers, too. If you think they might be larger (which would totally change the outcome of the recipe!), you can find the average weight of an egg online and do an experiment with a kitchen scale — if you have one! (While not a necessity for a home baker, they’re often used in professional baking for just this reason — to easily measure out ingredients precisely so the recipes turn out the same way each time, and as a safeguard against slight variations in ingredients.) I’ll also give this recipe a try this weekend and see what I can find out! ~ Marion :)
In the meantime…here are some of our best egg-free dessert recipes: https://www.budgetbytes.com/egg-free-recipes/
My batch did not turn out thin at all! I tripled the batch and included an additional whole egg and egg white since I was using small eggs. Before adding the extra eggs the batter was too hard. In the end the batter was very thick and kind of messy when transferring to the baking sheet. I added a couple of more minutes to the baking time since I made my cookies on the larger size. They turned out great! Crispy outside with a dense, fudgy center. I used cayenne, cinnamon, and dark chocolate morsels. Perfect flavor for Christmas!
Oh my sweet holy Lord. These cookies though. They didn’t turn out as pretty as the pictures (mine never do) but they’re unbelievably tasty.
I weigh my ingredients when baking, so 360 g powdered sugar and 60 g cocoa. I’m guessing the last commenter just has a measurement issue, because mine turned out well. I used a cookie scoop since the batter is runny.
This recipe was pretty awful, which is a shame as I love at least a dozen others I’ve tried of yours.
Mixture was like chocolate soup at first; super watery. Kept adding more dry ingredients, no real improvement.
Eventually got it thick enough to consider a cookie, came out like nasty, dry chocolate cakes.
UK, so perhaps ingredients are just too different.
For the record: Love many of your other recipes. This one was just a complete miss for us.
Hi Beth,
You may no longer be checking the comments on this (amazing) recipe, but just in case: I’m planning to make these for a group that includes someone who’s vegan. Do you or other commenters have any tips for replacing the eggs in this recipe? I’ve never used vegan egg replacers and am especially wondering about yolk vs whites. Thank you!! And thanks for this recipe – have made it many times and always to rave reviews!
Hi Rebecca! We’re always checking reader input! As for a vegan egg substitute there are a lot of options, I would suggest the flax seed route. To substitute, blend 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture is thick and creamy for each egg. This is a great post on other swaps you can make with what you have on hand in your pantry.
So I used regular large eggs (not x-large) and the batter was so thin that it was pretty much liquid. I tried it anyways and the way it baked was hilariously terrible and like one giant pancake cookies. I even refrigerated the dough and 20 minutes to see if it would stiffen up but it never did. Any reason you could think that the batter was that thin? I mean, should I just cut down on the eggs?
Yeah, something isn’t right there. The batter should be so thick that it’s hard to stir. I would double check all your measurements and the measuring cups you used. It can be really easy to accidentally mis-measure something.
These are fantastic! Take a bit longer to make full batch due to cooling out of oven on sheet but I don’t mind.
So delicious and very easy
I’ve made these cookies twice now. The first time all I changed was adding cinnamon for a Mexican flare. The second time I divided the batch in quarters. One was just plain chocolate, no cayenne, no cinnamon. One I added crushed candy canes, One I added instant coffee and the final batch, which I haven’t seen anyone post, I substituted peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips. OMG!!! SO GOOD!!! As for the baking cocoa, if you have an Aldi’s near you, it’s pretty cheap there. A couple of bucks as I recall. :) Thanks for all of your great recipes, I use several each week. :)
Delicious! Beth LOVES Aldi!
Which variation was your favourite? :-D
I have family in Maryland where Old Bay gets added to everything… even chocolate. So, naturally, I subbed your cayenne for Old Bay and these turned out NEXT LEVEL. Did everything else the exact same except used 3/4tsp Old Bay and 60% cacao Ghiradelli chips. Can’t wait to experiment with these like some other commenters, especially with peppermint this time of year. Great recipe!
So interesting!! I really need to start experimenting with Old Bay Seasoning. I have to admit that I’ve never used it. 🙈
This is slowly becoming my favorite cookie recipe! I love how versatile it is. I definitely recommend following another comment’s advice to up the cayenne to 3/4 tsp and add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Peppermint extract is wonderful too, but my favorite add-ins have been espresso powder and cardamom. I also prefer using dark chocolate cocoa powder and chips for a really deep and rich chocolate flavor. No matter the flavor, these cookies get rave reviews wherever I take them! Thanks for another winner!
Thank you Lauren for sharing these cookies and your ideas for variation with me!!
Victoria
I made these tonight and it will be one of my go to cookie recipies! Since going gluten free I’ve not baked as much but I’m glad I saw this post. I made a few different flavors but the cayenne was still the best.
I make these every year for Christmas since I’ve found this post. They are AMAZING! I keep everything exactly how you wrote it out.
Can they be frozen?
Hmm, probably, although I’ve never tried it. They’re a little bit like merengues in texture and I know you can freeze merengue.
Any idea what volume of egg whites I can use if I already have a big cup of egg whites separated after using the yolks for another recipe?
I Googled it and it looks like most people say one large egg white = 2 Tbsp, so you’d want to use 1/4 cup egg white plus the whole egg for this. I haven’t tried this, though, so I can’t verify. ;)
Perfect way to use the egg whites left from two batches of “pumpkin spice snickerdoodles.” :) You say you don’t enjoy cooking desserts much but the recipes you do post must be pretty fool-proof because both came out looking exactly like the pictures! (I also LOVED the lemon berry cobbler.) I made them plain (no cayenne) this time but I can’t wait to try them with peppermint–my favorite! Thank you!