Flourless Chocolate Cookies

At a glance

What stands out: Satisfy your sweet tooth with brownie-like flourless chocolate cookies. So fudgy with an unexpected delicate crisp top! This gluten-free recipe is straightforward to mix.

How long it takes: just under an hour (includes cooling time)
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, baking sheet
Servings: makes 20 cookies

These flourless chocolate cookies are pretty much irresistible. We confess, we always start out thinking we're just going to have just half a cookie. But you guessed it, we always end up eating the other half of the cookie, too!

Amazingly Good Chocolate Cookies

Gluten-free. You can get your chocolate fix with these flourless chocolate cookies. These are serious chocolate cookies. You would never guess that they aren’t made with flour, not even gluten-free flour. (Be sure to try this flourless Mexican hot chocolate cake, too!)

Crispy, crackly top. You’ll love the delicate crispy top on these cookies. You know how brownies get that thin crackly top that is so good? These cookies are just like that, only more so. Almost like a meringue, but not quite that crispy. And the surprising thing? The crispiness lasts. We sort of figured that delicate crispness would disappear after a day or two but it doesn’t!

Fudgy and sweet. You certainly don’t have to be on a gluten-free diet to enjoy these cookies. We would say flourless chocolate cookies fall somewhere between moist brownies and a candy bar. They are sweeter than a regular from-scratch cookies but they have enough chocolate flavor to keep them from becoming cloying.

Jeannette Said:

“These are a chocolate lovers dream, we're sure! They were excellent! We added just walnuts to these instead of the chocolate chips. They came in evenly handy this afternoon because we had no flour and only minutes to make them before we had to bring them somewhere. They were so good. We had one before wrapping them up.”

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What goes in

These cookies are seriously straightforward to mix with only six ingredients. Check your pantry because you may already have everything you need!

• Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar): Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar ensures that the cookies will have a delicate texture, not at all grainy.
• Cocoa powder: Found in the baking aisle of the grocery store, cocoa powder is unsweetened and rich in antioxidants.
• Salt: A small amount of salt balances the sweetness.
• Eggs: You’ll only need the whites. Save the yolks to make extra rich scrambled eggs.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Imitation vanilla won’t do the job here so be sure to buy the real thing.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Yes, these chocolatey cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, too! Even the most rabid chocolate fan will be satisfied!

How it comes together

Mix ingredients. Whisk together the dry ingredients, stir in the egg whites and vanilla, and then the chocolate chips. Wow, how straightforward is that! The cookie dough looks similar to brownie batter: fudgy and thick, a little looser than normal cookie dough.

Scoop onto baking sheets. Use a spring release cookie scoop or a spoon to portion the dough onto the baking sheets. The cookies spread out quite a bit so leave plenty of room between each cookie.

Bake. Be sure your oven is preheated! Bake about 14 minutes or until the tops are glossy and crackly, just like brownies. Cool completely before removing from the baking pans because the cookies are pretty soft when they come out of the oven but crisp up as they cool.

Ways to serve it

While many of you would agree that there’s nothing better than a glass of cold milk with a from-scratch cookies, here are a few more ways to enjoy these chocolate cookies.

With a warm beverage. Serve flourless chocolate cookies with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Even better, be your own barista and make a cinnamon dolce latte. Hot cocoa would be reliable, too.

With red wine. Nibble these dark chocolate cookies as you’re sipping a dark red variety of wine, such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel or, even better, a glass of port. Oh, is that good!

As a dessert. Flourless chocolate cookies make an excellent dessert as well. Scoop vanilla bean ice cream in a bowl, crumble a cookie alongside, and top with from-scratch hot fudge or bourbon caramel sauce.

Ways to change it

• Mocha cookies. Add a tablespoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients.
• Mexican hot chocolate cookies. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
• Add nuts. Stir in a half cup of chopped toasted nuts, like pecans or walnuts.
• Salty/sweet. Sprinkle tops lightly with coarse sea salt before baking.
• Looking for a different kind of cookie? Take a look at our complete list of cookies and bars.

Keeping leftovers

These flourless cookies are definitely best when they’re fresh, but they’ll keep for up to three days. After that, the cookies begin to lose their reliable texture. Completely cool cookies before storing them in an airtight container. Put them in a single layer or separate the layers with parchment or waxed paper.

• Yield: 20
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 14 minutes
• Total: 54 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar (spoon it lightly into the measuring cup)
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature (see note)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper lightly with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
3. Stir in two egg whites and vanilla extract; stir just until the batter is moistened. the cookie dough will look like brownie batter, thick and fudgy. If it seems too thick, stir in the other egg white. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 10 evenly spaced mounds per cookie sheet (makes 20 cookies total). We like to use a 1 ½ tablespoon spring-release cookie scoop. The cookies will spread quite a lot so allow room between them.
5. Bake about 14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked. Carefully slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto wire racks. Let cookies cool completely on the parchment.

Notes

Egg whites: You may only need 2 egg whites, depending on the egg size. An average egg contains about 2 tablespoons of egg white. It’s easier to separate eggs when they’re cold. The yolks are firmer and less likely to break. Once you separate the eggs, let the whites come to room temperature (it won’t take long), and refrigerate the yolks for another use.

Variations: Add 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, or 1 teaspoon cinnamon with the dry ingredients. Add a half cup chopped nuts. Lightly sprinkle coarse sea salt on tops of cookies before baking.

Storage: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper or waxed paper between each layer. They’ll keep for about 3 days.