These Grinch cookies are festive, cakey cookies that bear a strong resemblance to a certain Christmas Grinch! In 20 minutes they’ll be ready to add to your cookie platter alongside chocolate sugar cookie cut-outs and chewy ginger molasses cookies.
This is probably the Christmas-y Christmas cookie I’ve ever made – and there’s not a Christmas tree, gingerbread man or ornament in sight. These cookies are the edible embodiment of the Grinch himself, with a heart that’s three sizes too… actually, no, it’s the perfect size.
If the heart were bigger it would look like the cookie had a dangerous enlargement of the aorta, and that’s just alarming.
I’d seen a lot of recipes for Grinch cookies on Pinterest similar to these, but they were all using a boxed mix and oil and just… no. I can’t go that route. I have to make things more complicated, obviously.
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
How to make Grinch cookies
For my cookies, we’re going to make everything from scratch. It’s not hard at all, so don’t freak out!
It’s just a matter of putting a few dry ingredients in one bowl and whisking them together.
Then in another bowl, you’ll combine butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and mint extract, and top it off with some food gel paste to give it that essential Grinchy green.
You’ll even be using a mixer so your arms won’t get tired from mixing the dough by hand. A stand mixer will even relieve you of any and all work!
See? That’s not so hard.
Have patience with the dough
It will start out crumbly, but after a few minutes of mixing it will start to come together to form a dough that’s sort of the consistency of playdough (I know, what an appetizing comparison, hah).
So if it’s still forming large crumbs, keep at it – it’s going to come together and just needs a little more time!
Roll the dough into balls
You want to roll each portion of dough between the palms of your hands (rather than leaving them the way they plop out of the cookie scoop (aff link)). Doing this will give them a more uniform result, and they’re spread more and crinkle on top.
If you don’t roll them, they’ll stay puffier, be more uneven, and have a different texture in the end.
Adding a heart
Quite frankly, the hardest part is going to be placing the little heart sprinkle (aff link) on top of each cookie when it comes out of the oven. You have to do it quickly before the cookies set, so have them at the ready!
You’ll gently press them in enough so they stick, but not so hard that it looks like the cookie is consuming its own heart. That’s pretty dark, even for me.
You could press the hearts into the tops of the cookies before baking to avoid having the mini rush when they come out of the oven, but they just come out looking a little bit different and not as clean looking.
Plus, when the cookies bake and spread, the heart might not end up where you thought it would be!
Don’t like mint?
Simply omit it! I know some people think mint just reminds them of toothpaste, so if you’re one of those people just leave it out – no harm, no foul.
You could also swap the mint extract for peppermint – but as that has a strong flavor, I’d start with ½ teaspoon and increase it if you like a stronger peppermint flavor.
You could also do a 1:1 swap of another flavor extract if you’d like to mix things up!
Try rolling in sugar for added decoration and flavor
You can roll each ball of dough in granulated sugar or powdered sugar for a little added somethin’ somethin’.
The granulated sugar makes them a little sparkly, but the powdered sugar kinda looks like snow!
Great for Christmas cookie exchanges
What you’ll end up with is this batch of completely adorable Grinch cookies that are absolute perfection for your holiday cookie exchanges. Not only will they be cute and tasty, they’re a great little conversation starter.
Kids and adults alike will be clamoring to get their hands on one – and lord knows they’re totally Instagram-worthy.
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
Grinch Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract, (yes, Tablespoon!)
- 1 teaspoon mint extract, or less, to taste (can omit, if desired)
- Green gel food coloring paste, start with 4 drops and add as needed for desired color
- Heart-shaped sprinkles, aff link
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and position the baking rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with nonstick silicon mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate large bowl with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat to combine sugar and butter and light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, vanilla and mint extracts and beat to combine.
- Add half the flour mixture, mix on low speed to combine, then add the rest and mix until combined. The dough will be crumbly for the first couple minutes, but will start to come together around minute 3 – keep mixing until it does!
- Add 4 drops of gel paste and beat to fully combine and there are no longer white streaks in the dough. Add more food coloring to get to your desired color, keeping in mind that the color will fade *slightly* during baking.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) to portion dough. Roll each between the palms of your hands to form a ball, then place each ball of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, with no more than 6 on each sheet (they need room to spread while baking).
- This step is optional: Roll each ball of dough in powdered sugar or granulated sugar for a little extra decoration!
- Roll each ball of dough in your hands to shape into a smooth ball and press down on the top of each slightly. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cookies have started to crinkle – they will set and crinkle more as they cool.
- As soon as you remove them from the oven, press a heart sprinkle into the top of each cookie. Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, and then move to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Moisture: The size of the eggs you use can make a difference! If they’re smaller in size, you may lose a little of the needed moisture. If you find your mixture too dry, you can add a little melted butter or oil. Keep in mind, the dough will start out crumbly but will come together after about 3 minutes of mixing.
- Placing the hearts: If you’d like, you can place the heart sprinkles on top before baking – you just won’t be guaranteed they’ll be placed exactly where you wanted once they bake and spread.
- Don’t like mint? Simply omit it! I know some people think mint just reminds them of toothpaste :) You could also swap the mint extract for peppermint – but as that has a strong flavor, I’d start with ½ teaspoon and increase it if you like a stronger peppermint flavor.
Nutrition
Note: My original recipe from 2015 called for two different forms of butter – one softened, and another melted. To make the recipe easier, in December 2021 I have tweaked it a bit to use only softened butter (slightly more than the original recipe) and a slightly different method of combining the cookie dough. While I love the original recipe, I want it to be easy to follow! The resulting cookies are almost exactly the same – enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Kathryn
I don’t get what the complaints are about. I made them exactly as written and they were so cute ! I preferred to put the heart sprinkle on them before they went in the oven because it was easyer, but agree they look cuter if you put them on after. Next time I’m going to try a different color food coloring to make these for Easter
Leslie Kiszka
So glad you enjoyed them!
Leslie Kiszka
I owe you an apology, Jenn! I got some help moving recipes to a new site and new recipe card, and I didn’t catch that this recipe had an ingredient and step left out after the migration – that’s 100% my miss. There *is* supposed to be 1/4 cup softened butter that it also cut in (now listed in the updated recipe card ingredients and instructions). I’m very sorry for this mistake on my part, and apologize that I didn’t catch this mistake sooner.
Anna
Terrible. Is 2.5 cups of flour accurate? I bake all the time and I’ve never had an issue, but this was total crumbs. I followed it exactly but there was not enough liquid at all. And the green food gel coloring never colored anything. Probably because it was crumbs. What a waste.
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so, so sorry Anna. I got some help moving recipes to a new site and new recipe card, and I didn’t catch that this recipe had an ingredient and step left out after the migration – that’s 100% my miss. There is supposed to be 1/4 cup softened butter that it also cut in (now listed in the updated recipe card). I’m very sorry for this mistake on my part.
I’d like to encourage you to be kind in your feedback to online creators – we’re all human, and we all make mistakes. We’re all doing our best, but my mistake was certainly not the experience I wanted you to have.
Debra
I followed the recipe to a T but they were SO crumbly! I do ALOT of baking so make sure to always measure accurately. I used 1/3 cup oil and the 2 eggs (it didn’t seem like enough liquid in my opinion but followed it!) so sad as they looked like they would be cute!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m really sorry to hear that, as I’ve never had that issue myself. If your eggs were on the smaller side, that could have been enough to make a difference, but I wouldn’t think to the degree you’re saying.
Kamila
Hi! I made these today but they didn’t turn out green at all. I used a whole bottle (38ml) of liquid food colouring rather than gel, would that be the problem? Also, I don’t have a stand mixer only hand held one. I did notice sugar was still visible in the dough, thinking it’s because it wasn’t mixed properly? Of course hand held mixer means the stuff goes all over my kitchen haha.
I’m in the uk and don’t understand how much a cup of flour or sugar is. Can you please let me know in grams.
Absolutely desperate to make them for Xmas.
Thanks for your help
Leslie Kiszka
Hi Kamila! I’m going to try to address all your questions in this response, but let me know if I’m missing anything:
1) I always use a gel food coloring because it provides a much more vibrant color without needing to use as much – once you’ve added too much liquid (as you noted), it’s going to affect the texture as well as the flavor of your cookies.
2) There’s definitely a difference in quality amongst different kinds of food colorings, but I find it really strange that they didn’t turn out green at all!
3) Using a hand mixer isn’t an issue at all, you’d get the same results as using a stand mixer – aside from your experience of being covered in the ingredients, apparently haha :)
4) Seeing the sugar in the dough doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t mixed in properly, but it certainly could.
5) You can always Google conversions if you’re ever unsure of the amount in the measurement you’re most familiar with, but you always want to make sure you’re looking for the conversion with the name of the ingredient because it makes a difference. But in this case, it would be 120 grams = 1 cup of all purpose flour, and 227 grams = 1 cup granulated sugar. Take a look at this post I have about volume conversions, and why it differs by different kinds of ingredients, I think it will be helpful!: https://stressbaking.com/volume-conversions-for-baking-recipe-ingredients/
I hope all of this is helpful!
Leah
Hi Leslie, these are adorable. My cookies didn’t crinkle at all but puffed up. Could that be because I had too much air in my dough? I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong. Thank you! They tasted absolutely amazing though!
Leslie Kiszka
It could have been! This is less likely, but it also could be that your oven runs a little on the cooler side – might be worth a check on the calibration :) https://stressbaking.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/
Ashley
I’m excited to try these! Can I use regular green gel food coloring?
Leslie Kiszka
You can, but just know that it may require much more to get the same color as you see in my photos/video with the gel paste (since it’s more concentrated). That might affect the texture as well – so just be aware, and good luck!
Sad baker
My cookies were waaaaaay do floury like it was literally mostly flour. I had to use like six eggs and a full cup of oil to get it to be workable you get one star.
Leslie Kiszka
It sounds like the proportions that you used are not what were listed because it couldn’t have been “mostly flour” with all the other ingredients – I always recommend following the recipe measurements as indicated.
Jessica
I look forward to making these this week, and will be back with a review BUT I have a couple questions:
1. I’ll have royal icing made up, do you think I can just pipe a heart on the cookies after they cool? I don’t think it would have any problems sticking, right?
2. on hand I only have peppermint extract, can I just replace that for the mint?
Leslie Kiszka
1. Absolutely! It might be a little bumpy because of the crinkle tops, but totally doable.
2. That’s up to you… they’re quite different flavors, but if you like peppermint go for it!
Debbie Bond
Ok, I have to say Leslie is right! Her recipe is much better than the boxed cake recipes out there. I followed it to a tee and they came out perfect. Texture, taste, color, It’s all there. The only thing I added was Grinch fur (green candy shred) as soon as they came out of the oven. Wish I could attach a picture to show you the very cute plate I created to put the cookies on!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so happy to hear you liked them – thank you so much for coming back to comment and leave a rating! Please email me some pictures, I would LOVE to see them! (leslie@stressbaking.com)
Debbie Bond
Hi Leslie! I’m back and making these again for Monday’s Dr, Seuss Reading Across America Day. There will be for my granddaughter’s Kinder class. Do you think they would taste OK if I left the mint out? I think I would like to substitute cherry flavor for the mint. What do you think?!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m not sure of the taste without the mint, but you could always substitute it for pure vanilla or almond extract, or your idea for cherry – that sounds yummy! I’ve honestly never used cherry extract before so I don’t have much advice to offer there.
Lenore Moore
These needed some liquid. I added ⅓ cup of milk.
They turned out good.
Leslie Kiszka
Glad you liked them!
Heather
How many eggs !!!!
Leslie Haasch
The recipe card at the bottom of the post lists out all the ingredients you’ll need with their quantities – it’s 2 eggs, room temperature for this recipe!
Nancy Higgins
Do they freeze well and hold up when thawed?
Leslie Haasch
I’ve never tried, but I doubt it since they’re soft, cakey cookies.
Carol Borchardt
Adorable! Love the look of that chewy center! These could easily be adapted to St. Patrick’s Day!
Leslie Haasch
Most definitely – that’s a great idea!
Katrin
Wow, my kids would absolutely love these cookies!!!!!
Kristen
My daughter made them for a Christmas breakfast at school, and she came home talking about how everyone loved them.
Leslie Kiszka
That’s so great – thank you for coming back to share your experience and leave a rating! Happy Holidays <3