The BEST Pandan Crinkle Cookies

Get my recipe for these soft and chewy pandan crinkle cookies. A sugar cookie dough is flavored with pandan extract, coated in powdered sugar, and baked to perfection. In this blog post, learn the key to getting that perfect “crinkle” look.

To me, the limit does not exist when it comes to pandan desserts. I have fallen in love with this ingredient this year, and I don’t want to stop experimenting with it. Next up are these amazing pandan crinkle cookies. One of my taste testers tried a test batch and said that he couldn’t eat anymore because he would eat the whole thing. These cookies are soft and chewy, and full of pandan flavor.

How I developed this pandan crinkle cookie recipe

I first used my ube crinkle cookie recipe as a base, removed the ube extract and ube halaya, and added pandan extract. While the cookies tasted good, I didn’t like how brown they turned and I thought they spread too much. I decided to then try the recipe with only granulated sugar to reduce the spread. This change was inspired my pandan cookies and Michelle Lopez’s crinkle cookies. I had to switch out baking soda for baking powder since taking out the brown sugar took out the acid from the recipe. You need to pair baking soda with an acid; otherwise, the dessert tastes bitter. I learned this the hard way developing my matcha cake recipe.

Some deets about key ingredients

• Unsalted butter – I used softened butter for these cookies. In the past, I have often favored brown butter like in my popular matcha cookies, but I felt like using browned butter would take away from the subtle pandan flavor of these cookies. Additionally, this is a pretty wet dough already, and using browned butter would make it more difficult for the cookies to keep their shape.
• Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the cookies. Using only granulated sugar also reduces the spread of the cookies. I tested this with light brown sugar like in my ube crinkle cookies and found that the cookies spread a lot more which reduces the “crinkle” effect.
• Pandan extract – Adds the pandan flavor and the vibrant green color to these cookies.

What is pandan?

Pandan is a plant found in Southeast Asia. In cooking, we usually only use the leaves to flavor food, but since pandan leaves are difficult to find I use pandan extract most of the time. It can be used in drinks like soy milk, in savory foods like coconut rice, and also in desserts like pandan macarons. In Vietnamese cuisine, the most popular way to enjoy pandan is in banh bo nuong which is a chewy, light tapioca cake. Taste-wise, pandan tastes grassy, vanilla-like, and floral. Personally, I think it tastes similar to coconut milk because a lot of Vietnamese food that utilizes pandan also utilizes coconut milk. Pandan and coconut milk are a classic combination.

How to make pandan crinkle cookies

Prep the pandan cookie dough

Combine 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, and 1/4 tsp of salt in a bowl. Mix and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of unsalted butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar to a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk until a light and fluffy texture. Add the egg and mix until combined. Lastly, add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of pandan extract and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients from step 1 into the bowl and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the dough. Cover and let the dough cool in the fridge for 1 hour. This helps the dough hold its shape in the oven and improves the flavor.

Rolling and baking the pandan crinkle cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper. Scoop the last 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar into 2 separate bowls. Using a small (1.5 tbsp, #40 scoop) cookie scoop, scoop the dough into your hands. Roll it between your palms until a ball is formed. Coat the cookie ball in a light layer of granulated sugar and then a thick layer of powdered sugar. Place the ball on the prepped baking sheet. Repeat this process until you have filled up both baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. While the first batch is baking, cover and place the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge for storage. Once the first batch is done, let them cool at room temperature for 5 minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat this process for the second batch.

The key to getting that “crinkle” look

In testing, I found that the thicker the coating of powdered sugar, the better the crinkle effect. You also want a thick coating because the wet dough will hydrate some of the powdered sugar, making it look lighter.

Can you freeze these cookies?

Yes you can! You can either freeze the dough or the cookies themselves. For freezing the dough, portion them out before putting them in a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to bake, let them come up to room temperature for a hour before baking them in the oven. If you freeze baked cookies, let them completely cool before putting them into a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to eat, let them come up to room temperature before enjoying them.

Did you make these cookies?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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