Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Anything called “flourless chocolate” always hooks me from the get go. I love a rich and dense flourless chocolate cake, or tart or cupcakes and these cookies are no exception. They seem too good to be true. No gluten? No dairy? Other than the chocolate and powdered sugar- they actually seem dare I say “healthy-ish”? I mean without butter/oil/flour it’s a step beyond regular cookies right? I think so…especially when you bite into one and discover the texture. Crispy edges, chewy, fudgy centers and loads of chocolate- what is not to love?

An added bonus is that these are gluten free so they are the perfect treat to make for any loved ones who can’t handle the wheat. (Though to be honest- they are SO good that they’ll possibly not even believe that these don’t contain any flour.)

Even though I don’t really “celebrate” Valentine’s Day, I love any excuse to make chocolatey desserts for the ones I love the most. Any holiday that seems to be generally centered on sweets is a winner in my book right? These cookies are definitely a crowd pleaser and too easy to not go whip up a batch right now!! :)

 

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, I used dark dutch process
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 egg whites, from large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate
  • flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats. (Using 2 helps to keep a nice rotation of cooling/baking going.) Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold in the egg whites until well combined, followed by the vanilla, and chocolate chips. (The batter will look like brownie batter with lots of chocolate chip lumps.)
  3. Using a small/medium cookie scoop- portion dough about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet. (They spread quite a bit.) Sprinkle with sea salt. (the dough looks a bit funny but they will bake up beautifully)
  4. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are set, the tops are shiny and slightly cracked. Allow cookies to cool 100% before removing from the trays with a spatula.

Notes

Recipe adapted from: Food 52

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

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51 Comments

  1. yes do you whip the egg whites or just put them in please let us know. these cookies are perfect for passover as there is no flour

  2. You’re so right about flourless cookies – as opposed to “gluten-free” which is always a bonus of these cookies, considering most of my family is GF, flourless gives lovely connotations of chewy, dense, and rich chocolate cookies. These look like they fit all those criteria! Must try these out :D

  3. I added an extra 1/4 cup cocoa powder and baked for 13 minutes. When done i carefully removed right away to cool on wax paper (you need to clean the spatulas between each cookie to avoid tearing). So good!

  4. I made these on Saturday during yet another snowstorm in the East. I didn’t have any eggs and didn’t want to go the store. I used Meringue powder reconstituting as directed on the container. I have it around for icing and thought what the heck. The resultant “egg whites” looked a little funky but I mixed them in and the cookies turned out fantastic. I used Valrhona cocoa powder but had to sub in Milk choc chips. Really one of the best tasting cookies I’ve ever had and the first flourless ones I’ve made. Thanks for the recipe.

  5. Just made these! They are delicious and EXTREMELY rich. I had to bake them a little longer, but that may be due to living at high altitude. SO yummy and addictive. Thanks for the recipe.

  6. these look amazing … but you don’t whip the eggs… do you beat them at all

    I am so confused … and want to make them … please HELP

    1. You don’t have to whip the egg whites at all. They are just there for moisture and hold

  7. Hi, I don’t have any parchment on hand. Can I use aluminum foil or just spray the sheet?

      1. I made them last night! Sprayed the cookie sheet and they slipped right off! They were sooooo perfect to satisfy my chocolate craving :)

    1. I sprayed the sheet and that worked well. The cookies just didn’t spread as much. Perhaps if you flatten them a l=bit with a slightly wet spoon?
      I wouldn’t use foil–I think that would be a big mess

  8. Omg these are amazing!!! I am on a low carb diet and these are a perfect treat that I dont feel super bad about! Awesome!!!

  9. A coworker made these cookies and brought them to the office this morning….OH MY GOSH… they rock!

  10. I made these tonight and they were delicious! The only modification I made was adding a fourth egg white. Even though my eggs were labeled large , I found the mixture very dry and there was too much dry ingredient unblended remaining. For next time, can I add a bit of water if I find the mixture too dry?
    Thanks for a great recipe!!!

  11. Audra, what size scoop did you use for these? 1 Tablespoon or bigger? Thanks!

    1. Yes, however, if you are baking for someone who truly can’t have any gluten you need to buy gluten-free powdered sugar. The regular kind is made with cornstarch and does contain gluten in trace amounts. If you are just gluten-free as a diet tho you will be fine

  12. Did you add any extra chocolate chips to the top of the cookie after you put it on the baking sheet or do they truly come out with all the nice chips showing on the top like they are in the picture?

    1. It’s been a while since I made these, but that I remember they come out basically like the picture without any extra chips. of course, you could always save out some chips from the amount called for and put them on top.

      BTW, I’ve had some fun adding things like nuts, cranberries, etc. in place of or in addition to the chips :)

  13. I made these today and they taste wonderful!!! One thing that was different was that they came out really big and really flat and thin. Tasted great just too thin. Any ideas on what I might do to keep them thicker? I did use the Meringe Powder as another poster said she did and they came out great. I am going to use regular egg whites next time. Thanks

    1. Hmm- I’m not sure since I didn’t use the meringue powder. I would definitely stick to the egg whites as that’s what worked for me!

  14. Tried using the Meringue Powder method – came out very flat and thin but tasted good. Remade them using actual egg whites – were perfect and tasted even better.

  15. I just made these and they are delicious! Thank you so much~
    The only problem I had with them is that my cookies were sort of breaking apart in and there wasn’t enough “body” in the middle so they were fragile :(
    Any advice on how to combat this?

      1. That’s possible. Although I also used large eggs, but I’ll keep that in mind the next time I bake them again! If it still seems too wet, can I balance it out with more cocoa powder?

        Thanks again~

        1. I would say rather than that, reserve some of the egg white to add in if the batter doesn’t ribbon off the spoon. It’s a wet batter for sure but it shouldn’t appear watery. I’ll also note that these cookies aren’t super thick- I mean the insides shouldn’t sink in either.

  16. Holy cow, these have got a TON of sugar. Gluten Free yeah, but not exactly healthy….

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