Last Updated on February 25, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a classic Christmas cookie and this recipe is also gluten-free! The cookie has a fudgy center with a sweet and slightly crispy exterior.
I often use coconut sugar in my recipes, but after thinking it over, I realized there’s not much of a difference in the amount of fructose when comparing organic cane sugar and coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is 38-48.5% fructose, which is just about the same as cane sugar.
When you take into account that cane sugar and coconut sugar contain about the same amount of fructose, and you need to use a bit more coconut sugar to get the same level of sweetness as cane sugar, there’s not much of an advantage to reaching for the coconut sugar.
So, in my opinion, if I’m going to bake for a special occasion, and the recipe doesn’t require an obscene amount of sweetener, there’s not much harm in using some organic cane sugar.
And, make sure to always get organic cane sugar. Regular conventional sugar comes from GMO sugar beets. Reducing our intake of GMOs and glyphosate is very important for good health.
As for powdered sugar, you can purchase an organic variety at the store, or you can make it yourself!
All you need to do is place 1/2 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot in a coffee grinder and grind until it becomes a powder. How easy is that?!
Here are some more gluten-free Christmas cookies that you might enjoy:
Thumbprint Cookies
The Perfect Molasses Cookie
Snickerdoodles
Nut-Free, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 14 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 4 tbs unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons instant decaf coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the sugar coating:
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and adjust the rack to the middle position. Place the chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set over a small pot of simmering water. Heat until melted, stirring often. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk the coconut flour, arrowroot, tapioca, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, instant coffee, and vanilla. Whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the brown sugar mixture. Then, add the flour mixture and gently fold together. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Place the cane sugar in a small bowl and then place the powdered sugar in a second bowl. Using a 2 tbs. cookie dough scoop, scoop a ball of dough, and then place it in the bowl of cane sugar. Roll it around with your fingers so it’s coated with the sugar, and then place the dough ball into the bowl with the powdered sugar. Roll the dough ball around until coated and then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Using your fingers, gently push each dough ball down so it spreads and is about 3/4” thick.
- Bake the cookies until puffed and cracked and the edges have started to set, but the centers are still soft (they will look just a tad bit underdone), about 11-12 minutes. Cool completely and then serve.
- *If you’d prefer to make your own powdered sugar, you can combine 1/2 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot and grind in a coffee grinder until it’s a powder.
These chocolate crinkle cookies look delicious! I am excited to makes these but have a question about the unsweetened chocolate…I am not baker and am always confused when I see chocolate in a recipe. Do you mean 4 oz of unsweetened chocolate chips, or unsweetened chocolate bar or unsweetened chocolate powder? Do you suggested a specific brand? Sharing what you use would be helpful for me 😉
You can use 4 ounces of unsweetened chips or a bar. Either will work! Cocoa powder is a different thing. 🙂 I used the Trader Joe’s unsweetened chocolate chips for this recipe.
These look delicious! Do you mean to add the instant coffee granules to recipe or 4 tsp of liquid coffee?
Yes, the recipe is written correctly.
How many cookies does this make?
About 14
I love that these are grain-free and they look amazing. However, I’m so wishing that more bakers like yourself would attempt more recipes with other natural sugar alternatives. I’ve used date syrup which works in a GF quick bread. But, the rich color darkens the batter. I made a blueberry buckle coffee cake recently with only stevia for my sweetener and it turned out great. The dough was a bit heavy, but I can adjust it next time. Cookies are another beast and really cookies are my favorite food (though I don’t eat them anymore for the most part). Other than creamy rich hot cocoa which is my ultimate favorite of all things. 😉
If you look at the various recipes that I’ve created over the 13 years I’ve been writing this blog, and in my two cookbooks, you’ll see that I use a variety of different natural sweeteners. I discuss in this post why I used organic cane sugar instead of coconut sugar and also gave a recipe for homemade powdered sugar. I think I give a good variety of recipes with different kinds of ingredients. Have a great day!
Can you substitute the brown sugar?
I don’t test my recipes with substitutions, so I don’t know what would lend the exact same texture and flavor.
Hi there! These turned out delicious!! I’m wondering what you suggest for storage? Refrigerator, or do you think sealed in an airtight container on the countertop is okay for a few days? (So they don’t lose their fluffiness!).
These look so yummy, can you offer a sub for the tapioca, I can not have corn or cassava either, thanks
I haven’t tested the recipe with subs so I don’t know what would lend the exact same flavor and texture.
Easy and delish!
These are soooo good! The perfect dark chocolate, salty cookie. Yum! We don’t use coffee in our house so I replaced the coffee with dark cacao powder and it worked perfectly.