Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookies (Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free)
Originally posted December 2016. Updated September 2026.
My Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookie are like a fudgey brownie and a cookie had a baby. Dark chocolately goodness paired with boozy orange and rolled in enough powdered sugar you’ll look dusted with ‘snow’ after eating one. Worth every delicious bite.
My friend Keith is a big part of why I created this recipe. One year he shows up at Christmas, when he knows I make Christmas cookies, with a 5-pound bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour and asked me to make some for him. Because he’s got celiac disease and can’t have any gluten, he always missed the cookie platters I give to friends as gifts. So, that year, I made all gluten-free cookies, including traditional Italian Almond Biscotti.
Sooooo I don’t consider myself a baker. A cook… yes. But a baker… nope. I enjoy dabbling in baking but feel it’s something you’re talented at in a way you can change or create your own recipes and things still rise and bake properly. It’s the exact chemistry. As a chef, with cooking, you can toss in a pinch of this, a handful of that, and just understand how flavors and textures work together and create something beautiful. But with baking, if you get the chemistry off just slightly, you’ve got a brick. And boy, I’ve made some bricks over the years.
These YUMMY cookies are not that (or any of the baking recipes on the blog – you get the good ones). And my friend Keith had the nerve to complain I was making him fat. LMAO.
All I can say is that he brought it on himself for eating so many COOKIES. Not just these Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle cookies, but also my Greek Butter Cookies.
Whole Wheat, All-Purpose, or Gluten-Free — All Work
So over the years of making these cookies, I’ve used plenty of all purpose flour, but have found we lean towards liking the whole wheat and the gluten-free ones the best. The flours all work interchangeably, same measurements, with no other adjustments needed.
The key if you’re using whole wheat, it to mix in about 1/3 all purpose to lighten it up or it’ll be too dense. Overall, the recipe isn’t too precious, so use whatever you have on hand or need for who you’re baking for.
Fudgy or Crispy – Choose with the Bake Time
10 minutes in the oven is what it takes to give you a cookie that is genuinely fudgy, brownie-like center. Of course, if your oven runs hot you might need a bit less. In my opinion this is the ultimate texture that makes these cookies so good in the first place. But if you’re more of a crispy cookie person, leave them in an extra 2 to 3 minutes for a crunchy edge.
Either way, make sure you chill the dough properly before baking. Otherwise, it makes it impossible to handle the dough for rolling in the powdered sugar. It’s more like brownie batter straight out of the mixing bowl. If you want to speed up the chill time, toss in the freezer instead of the fridge. Just keep an eye out to make sure you don’t freeze it or you won’t be able to roll the cookies.
If you want to make them even crispier, swap out the olive oil for butter. Butter always makes for a crispier cookie. The original recipe, I adapted this one from used butter. But I adore the added flavor of the olive oil and what it adds, pairing well with the dark chocolate and orange flavors. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. If you’d like to check out Cooking and Beer’s original recipe Orange, Almond, and Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
Because I’ve got an almond allergy, I’ve swapped in vanilla extract instead of almond.
Building These as a Gift
These are fantastic on a cookie platter for gift giving or taking to a holiday party. But you can also pack them up as a homemade gift kit for your foodie friends.
Mix your chosen flour with the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in one container – I like using Mason jars. In the top, you can mix the granulated and brown sugar together in a ziploc bag and tuck into the jar as well. Then pack the chocolate chips, a small jar of Nutella or my favorite 2-ingredient Hazelicious (no palm oil or additives), small bottle of vanilla or almond extract, and Cointreau. Bag it up with a small bag of confectioner’s sugar and you’ve got a beautiful gift. Just don’t forget to print a recipe card to give them. And they can make a fresh batch at home, while sipping a glass of Cointreau.
If you don’t want to use booze, swap it out for fresh squeezed orange juice. I’ve made them both ways and perfect the Cointreau, but the orange juice ones is good as well.
Btw, want a another cookie flavor for foodie gift kits, try my Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti with Orange Zest.
The hardest part of making Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookies is not eating them all yourself. That cookie, brownie combo is hard to beat. So are you thinking you’ll make yours gluten free or with whole wheat? Let me know in the comments. Leave any questions you have there, as well.
Recommended Ingredients & Tools for Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour — If you’ve followed any of baking recipes, you already know this is my go-to gluten-free flour. Out of all the ones I’ve tried, it’s the one that comes the closet in texture to regular flour and doesn’t need anything extra to make it work. Just swap in for the same measurements.
- Nutella — This is the original hazelnut spread and the one I originally made the recipe with. These days because of all the additives, I’ve swapped to the hazelnut spread below. But it’s totally up to you, which one you use. Either way this is what makes them fudgy, rather than just cakey. Genuinely part of what makes these fudgy rather than just cakey. Not really substitutable if you want the same texture.
- Hazelicious – Over the years, I’ve swapped Nutella for hazelnut butters without all the additives. No sugars, oils, preservatives or anything. Just hazelnuts and salt. Same texture in the cookie. Better flavor. But seriously do the one that works for you.
- High-Quality Dark Chocolate Chips — This cookie hinges on having a GOOD chocolate. Don’t skimp here. I always go for at least a 60% or higher dark chocolate. Do NOT use milk chocolate in this recipe.
Tools
- Microwave-Safe Mixing Bowl — I’ve got other favorite mixing bowls, but they don’t go in the microwave. For that I always use my trusty Pyrex mixing bowls.
- Cookie Scoop — I also use a regular soup spoon, but when you’re looking for a little more exactness for gifting, pulling out the cookie scoop is the way to make them faster and more consistent in size. It also works as a melon baller.
- Baking Sheets — Everyone needs good baking sheets. A lot of people like aluminum but I’m always into stainless steel. These beauties also come with stainless cooking racks making them a nice value for the buck.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Dark Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookies
- Do I really need to chill the dough? YES. I can’t stress this one enough. Do NOT skip chilling the dough unless you’ve decided to skip the rolling them in powdered sugar and making drop cookies instead. I don’t recommend it, but hey… you do you. You want the dough firm enough that you can shape it into balls and roll in the sugar which takes at least an hour in the fridge. If you’re short on time, pop it into the freezer.
- Can I skip the Cointreau? Yep. Fresh squeezed orange juice is a straightforward substitute. Same measurements. I do recommend fresh squeezed over out of the container, but that’s totally up to you. The Cointreau adds a deeper orange flavor though – so if you’re a fan, go this route instead. The alcohol bakes out, so no one is getting ‘drunk’ off these cookies.
- Are these safe for nut allergies? Nope. The hazelnut spread is made with… hazelnuts. Also if you use something like almond extract instead of vanilla. These are not for someone with a nut allergy.
- Why are mine spreading flat instead of staying crinkled? This is why you want to chill the dough long enough. Otherwise, you end up with more of a drop cookie that isn’t as pretty. You’ll also need to watching the baking time closely if they spread out.
- Can I make the dough ahead of time? Absolutely. It can hold in the fridge for a few days, or if you want longer – pop it into the freezer. To use, unthaw to well you can roll the dough and then cook as normal. You can also freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container.
Dark Chocolate and Orange Crinkle Cookies (Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or use all-purpose or Bob’s gluten free baking flour. All equally interchangeable.
- 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ⅓ tsp. salt
- 1 cup or 8 oz. dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup Nutella or your favorite hazelnut spread
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ Tbsp. orange zest
- 2 Tbsp. freshed squeezed orange juice or use Cointreau
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Place the dark chocolate chips, olive oil and Nutella in a medium-sized microwave-proof bowl and place in the microwave. Heat on intervals of 20 seconds, stopping to stir the mixture and continuing until all the chips are melted. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, orange zest and orange juice or Cointreau, mixing well.
- Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mix, followed by the flour mixture. Mixing just until no dry ingredients remain. Do not overmix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour or until the mixture hardens to a fudge like texture.
- Place the confectioner’s sugar in a small flat bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Spoon tablespoon portions of the dough into the confectioner’s sugar, rolling the dough into sugar coated balls. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cookies have slightly flattened out. 10 minutes gives you a cookie with a brownie-like texture, for crisper cookies, leave in the oven 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy and remember to share because it is easy to be tempted to keep these for yourself.
Notes
NUTRITION (PER COOKIE, APPROXIMATE, BASED ON 24)
Calories ~144 | Protein ~2.2g | Total Fat ~5.8g | Saturated Fat ~2.5g | Carbohydrates ~22g | Fiber ~1.3g | Sugar ~17g | Sodium ~52mg Caveats:- Calculated using orange juice rather than Cointreau. If you use Cointreau instead, expect a very small bump in calories and sugar.
- These cookies get rolled in a full cup of confectioner’s sugar for coating, and this estimate assumes all of it ends up on the cookies. In practice some stays in the bowl, so actual sugar per cookie may run slightly lower than shown.
- Contains tree nuts – hazelnuts (Nutella) — not suitable for tree nut allergies.