Cinnamon Chocolate Cookies

This chocolate cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar has made it to the top of our favorite cookie list. Think of these as a chocolate snickerdoodle.

Cinnamon Chocolate Cookies Recipe

We actually adapted these from our recipe for Perfect Snickerdoodles. They are very simple to make and keep quite well. You can even make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate up to three days or freeze for even longer. There are more than a few bags of frozen cookie dough hidden away in our freezer for when the next chocolate craving hits.

How to Make Chocolate Cookies Rolled in Cinnamon and Sugar

Similar to Snickerdoodles, these chocolate cookies begin with creaming butter and sugar together (we use white granulated sugar, but you could experiment with brown sugar if you wanted). Eggs are added then we beat in a mixture of all-purpose flour (we like using Gold Medal), cocoa powder, cream of tarter, baking soda and some salt.

How to Make Cinnamon Chocolate Cookies

The cream of tarter and baking soda are what makes the cookies puff up in the oven then deflate just enough to make those crinkly tops seen in the photo. It also adds a welcomed tanginess to the cookies that cuts through the rich combination of the butter, sugar and cocoa powder.

The cookie dough itself is crave-worthy — if it weren’t for the eggs, we’d happily eat the entire bowl. Instead we take a few bites then throw in some chocolate chips.

Adding chocolate chips

From there, the dough should be chilled at least 30 minutes. While it chills, the flour has a chance to absorb moisture from the eggs and butter. The dough also firms up a little making it easy to roll into balls for baking.

Once chilled, we throw together some cinnamon sugar (heavy on the cinnamon) and roll the balls of dough around until well coated.

Roll in cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon Chocolate Cookies

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Chocolate and cinnamon are so wonderful together — especially in the form of these crinkly topped chocolate cookies. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes or so is important, here. It’s a little sticky so the chill helps make rolling the dough into balls and then into the cinnamon sugar easy.

Makes 28 to 30 cookies

You Will Need

Cookies

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour, we use Gold Medal

1/2 cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

16 tablespoons (226 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cinnamon Sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions

  • Make Batter
  • 1Sift (or whisk) the flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together then set aside. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. (Or, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Reduce speed to low. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

    2Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the flour mixture in three parts, just mixing until it disappears. Stir in chocolate chips. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill dough at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

  • To Finish
  • 1Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicon baking mats.

    2In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Shape heaping-tablespoon-sized mounds of cookie dough into balls. Roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. (A medium cookie scoop is helpful here).

    3Bake the cookies until the cookies have puffed a little and the tops look set, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. (The cookies will fall slightly as they cool.)

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • Storing the Cookies: Baked and cooled cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Also, keep in mind that you can freeze this cookie dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop and roll individual dough balls and place onto the baking sheet (they can be close together), and then place in the freezer until hard, about 30 minutes. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight container or plastic bag.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 cookie / Calories 173 / Protein 2 g / Carbohydrate 24 g / Dietary Fiber 1 g / Total Sugars 15 g / Total Fat 8 g / Saturated Fat 5 g / Cholesterol 29 mg / Sodium 68 mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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18 comments… Leave a Review
  • Kevin Hall December 16, 2019, 11:33 am

    I made these to surprise my wife . She loved the spicy chocolate cookies we tasted out west so I modified this recipe slightly.I used Hershey’s special DARK cocoa added 1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper plus 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper and then just put a few chocolate chips in the center of each dough ball (for a chocolate center) instead of chips throughout the batter. They turned out fabulous! Chocolate cinnamon with just a hint of a spicy after taste! Yummy!!

    Reply
  • C December 10, 2017, 1:57 pm

    My family loved them! Thank you! Discovered your site a few months ago and it is now my go-to site for wonderful food!

    Reply
  • Debbie June 8, 2017, 5:13 pm

    5 stars. Awesome! Baked these for a friend & co-workers birthday, huge hit! Everyone loved them and I got several “best cookie ever” comments. If you like to eat the dough, you’re in for a treat, it is so good! I used a full bag of Guittard 63% chocolate chips and white whole wheat flour (the only nod to heathy, and it’s the only flour I use)

    Reply
  • Angel December 7, 2016, 8:49 pm

    I have made these and followed the recipient to the T. Only thing is that the never come out like they look in the picture. They are more like little brownies. Good little brownies but would like for them to look like cookies. Any ideas?

    Reply
  • EBPitcher April 18, 2016, 8:47 pm

    These were very, very tasty! Reminded me of the brownies I make reminiscent of Mexican chocolate. One thing, I didn’t like the pasty feeling left on my fingers from the large amount of cinnamon in the coating when I ate them. So next time, I will likely add cinnamon to the dough and scale it back in my coating similar to my usual snickerdoodle recipe. These will show up in my regular cookie rotation.

    Reply
  • April September 27, 2015, 11:33 am

    Thanks so much for this recipe. I love it! I was looking for a chocolate cookie recipe to use for some left over cinnamon chips I had and this was perfect! I used 10oz total of cinnamon chips and semi sweet chocolate. So wonderful!

    Reply
  • mammad April 20, 2015, 3:06 pm

    If I freeze the dough, does it have to thaw before baking, or do I just add a little time to the baking time?

    Reply
    • Joanne April 21, 2015, 12:52 pm

      We bake straight from frozen, just add a few more minutes to the bake time.

      Reply
      • April January 20, 2021, 8:54 pm

        Do you roll the unbaked dough in the cinnamon sugar before freeze them?

        Reply
        • Joanne September 23, 2022, 12:11 pm

          Yes.

          Reply
  • enji September 14, 2014, 2:34 am

    can i replace cream of tarter ?

    Reply
    • Joanne September 19, 2014, 2:29 pm

      Hi there, Unfortunately, we don’t know of a good substitute for cream of tarter. The cream of tarter and baking soda work together in this recipe to puff the cookies up in the oven. It also adds a tanginess to the cookies.

      Reply
  • Rebecca Miller April 30, 2014, 5:42 pm

    I made this recipe and instead of using cocoa powder i used instant coffee, turned out amazing! and threw in some white chocolate chips also with the dark chocolate. But the time to cook them is more like 14-15 minutes for mine.

    Reply
  • Paula – bell’alimento February 8, 2014, 7:51 pm

    Oh, I want to lick my screen! These look delicious! Pinning

    Reply
  • Joel A. February 5, 2014, 10:57 am

    I love cookies! This would be perfect with coffee… I want one.

    Reply
  • dina February 5, 2014, 9:14 am

    they look delish!

    Reply
  • Natasha February 4, 2014, 12:31 pm

    I actually don’t think I’ve ever had chocolate and cinnamon together before! Therefore I must try these. They look lovely!

    Reply
    • Joanne February 4, 2014, 12:32 pm

      Oh, you must give it a try then đŸ™‚

      Reply

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