Published: · Modified: by Christina Lane · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments
You know these cookies: they're shiny, crackly, soft and chewy with crisp edges. They're absolutely full of chocolate flavor, and everyone loves them! They're flourless chocolate cookies, and yes, they're gluten-free and made with only 5 simple ingredients.
Why You'll Love this Flourless Cookies Recipe
As I compile my list of Christmas cookies to bake this year, I will never forget about my gluten-free friends. These flourless chocolate cookies are specifically for them, but you may have to fight off everyone else to eat them.
These are the rich, chocolatey and chewy brownie-like cookies that everyone loves. They’re not missing a single ingredient, even though they lack flour. In fact, the lack of flour is what makes the texture of these cookies SO GOOD.
Without flour, egg whites are the binder for our cookies. This means that the egg whites bake up slightly crisp yet chewy in the oven—exactly like the best pavlova or eton mess you’ve ever had.
Meringue is one of the best things in the dessert world if you ask me: sweet, crisp, chewy, fluffy and airy all at once. But this recipe for flourless chocolate cookies is the easiest way to enjoy meringue because we’re just going to stir the egg whites into the flourless chocolate cookies batter. We’re not whipping them with beaters or looking for soft or stiff peaks—literally just stir the egg whites with a spatula until the batter is wet. That’s it!
Flourless Chocolate Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar. Also referred to as confectioner's sugar, this is a super finely ground sugar that contains a small amount of cornstarch. It cannot be substituted for granulated sugar, so please only use powdered sugar for this recipe.
- Cocoa Powder. All natural, unsweetened cocoa powder made of 100% cacao is what we need for this flourless chocolate cookies recipe.
- Egg Whites. Two large egg whites that have been left on the counter for about an hour to come to room temperature. Here's a list of recipes that use egg yolks.
- Vanilla. Real pure vanilla extract enhances the chocolate flavor of these cookies.
- Chocolate Chips. You can use semisweet, dark or even milk chocolate chips for these cookies. I most commonly use dark chocolate chips for a rich flavor.
How to Make Flourless Cookies
- First, preheat the oven to 350 and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. See notes above about how to bake this recipe if you only have 1 cookie sheet. Gather your ingredients: powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients: powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. A whisk can break up any lumps in the powdered sugar or cocoa powder, which is super important for these cookies. You don’t want to bite into a cookie and have a dry clump!
- Next, add the egg whites and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir. It’s going to take a long time to incorporate everything, but just stir, stir, and stir some more!
- Once you finally incorporate all of the egg whites, it's time to stir the chocolate chips into the flourless chocolate cookies batter. Next, scoop out the cookies using a cookie scoop, remembering to space them to only 4 cookies per pan.
- Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes, until the cookies are shiny and crackled on top. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to help them set, and then move them to a cooling rack. The cookies will be completely stuck to the parchment paper, so use a strong metal spatula and a swift motion to remove them. You may now eat a few cookies warm and then save the remaining ones for when they’re completely cool.
This is a small batch recipe for flourless chocolate cookies that makes just 8 cookies, so it’s perfect if you just want a few chocolate cookies after making any of my dinner for two recipes. My husband and I can attest that 4 cookies per person is the appropriate serving size! You have to eat 1 or 2 cookies right when they come out of the oven when they’re SUPER soft, but then you have to eat 2 more when they’re room temperature and have the perfect meringue-like crisp and chewy texture.
Flourless Chocolate Cookie Storage
These cookies last for a few days on the counter at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them. You cannot freeze this dough to be baked later; it needs to be made the day it is prepared.
Flourless Cookie Recipe FAQ
Is gluten-free and flourless the same thing?
In the case of these cookies, yes, the batter is flourless and gluten free, but this might not be the case with all recipes, so if you’re gluten-free, read the ingredients of any recipe very carefully.
How do you bind without flour?
The most common way to bind cookies without flour is to use eggs. Alternatively, you can use mashed banana or pumpkin.
What makes something flourless?
Um, the absence of flour in a recipe makes it flourless. However, the point of a flourless baked good is that it usually makes a dense, fudge-like texture in the final baked good. This is true for flourless cookies that have a brownie-like texture, and a flourless chocolate cake that has a dense, rich texture.
Other holiday cookies you may like:
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Shortbread
Almond Bars
Gingersnaps
Christmas Lights Cookies
Yield: 8
Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Chewy yet crisp flourless chocolate cookies.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time34 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Ensure the parchment paper lays flat, or else ripples and bumps will cause misshapen cookies.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until no lumps remain.
3. Next, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the egg whites and vanilla extract. Using a spatula, stir the mixture until it comes together and resembles brownie batter. It will take a while to blend everything!
4. Using a cookie scoop, portion out 4 cookies on each sheet pan. While you’re scooping, stir the mixture frequently so that the chocolate chips are evenly distributed in each cookie. Place the cookies are at least 3” apart on the baking sheets, because they will spread considerably in the oven.
5. Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes. When the cookies are done, they will be shiny and crackled on top. Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before using a strong metal spatula to scrape them off to a cooling rack.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 2g
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Reader Interactions
Comments
RossC says
Don't know how I missed this recipe.
A definite bake this weekend. :O)Reply
Jessica says
What size cookie scoop did you use? I used a 3tbsp and it was a bit too big.
Reply
Christina Lane says
I use 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie. Sorry that wasn't clear.
Reply
ML says
This year's cookie lineup included a cookie that resulted into a crumbly mess that I simply could not offer. Plan B: this cookie! Did it ever deliver! My father-in-law, who is more of a cookie-with-jam traditionalist, put this one at the top of his list.
Reply
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