These easy flourless chocolate cookies are made with egg whites, sugar, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and mini chocolate chips. Crisp on the edges, and endlessly chewy inside. Packed with chocolate flavor!
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Why bake flourless chocolate cookies?
Over the years, I've done more and more flourless baking. There are a few reasons that I decided to focus on baking gluten free chocolate cookies, but without any flour.
If you're brand new to gluten free baking, you probably don't have any gluten free flours in your pantry, and unfortunately the best ones can take a bit of time to order.
True flourless baking doesn't require any special ingredients like individual flours. That means that you can bake flourless with, say, the black beans or peanut butter in your pantry. If you do have a flour blend, of course, you can learn all about gluten free cookies recipes including tips and FAQs.
Why this is the best flourless chocolate cookies recipe
Slightly crispy outside, super chewy inside and naturally gluten free, these flourless chocolate cookies are made with basic pantry ingredients. With all the lightness of their meringue-style base, they're also much, much richer and more substantial than meringues.
In the case of these amazing flourless fudge cookies, you'll only need egg whites, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, your favorite chopped chocolate, plus some miniature chocolate chips that you could do without. There's also a bit of salt and vanilla, but you could even skip those, too.
The addition of melted chocolate, an idea I got from Allrecipes Magazine, makes this recipe so much less fragile. This flourless cookie recipe doesn't puff and then deflate, relying on chocolate chips to keep its shape as it cools. In fact, the cookies barely even spread in the oven.
Regardless of the recipe variation you use, flourless chocolate cookies make such a nice show of themselves that you often see them in bakeries. They deceptively simple, though, both in method and in ingredients.
How to make flourless chocolate cookies without melted chocolate
You can see in the image above the larger, shinier and crispier cookies that this recipe makes when made without the melted chocolate—and with more confectioners' sugar.
With the previous recipe, these cookies changed rather dramatically in the oven. The raw cookies are very shiny in appearance and seem almost like a liquid. But when they finished baking, they were firm and chewy, with a rich, chocolate taste.
They puffed in the oven and deflated as they cool, and tasted amazing—but were so much more fragile, the recipe more temperamental.
If you'd like to make the recipe in the previous style, here are the changes to make to the ingredients list:
- Increase the confectioners' sugar to 2 cups (230 g)
- Eliminate the melted chocolate as an ingredient completely
- In place of 3 ounces of mini chocolate chips, you'll need 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (standard size)
The method is very similar. Here are the differences:
- Beat the egg whites only until foamy, not whipped to stiff peaks. The cookie dough is super thin.
- coop the batter into portions about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, and leave at least 2 inches between the cookies. The batter will spread, but slowly.
- Bake at 325°F until the cookies are just set and beginning to crack on top, 12 to 14 minutes. They will puff in the oven, and then deflate as they cool.
- Let them cool completely, then peel the parchment paper from the cooled cookies to release them.
Flourless chocolate cookies: ingredients and substitutions
These rich chocolate cookies have very few ingredients, which is great news when you're seeking simplicity! But it also means that each of the ingredients does a lot of work. Let's talk about it…
Egg whites
First off, I should mention that the egg whites in the carton have worked quite well for me, but in my experience, those do vary in quality quite a bit from brand to brand. To be safe, I'd stay away from a store brand of carton egg whites, unless that store brand is Trader Joe's as those have worked perfectly for me.
Egg free, flourless chocolate cookies
When I first posted this recipe, I never would have thought I could provide you with a suggestion for an egg white substitution for this recipe. It was hard to imagine replacing egg whites when the recipe is little more than egg whites, cocoa powder, and sugar.
But since I've been doing so much allergen-free baking lately, I have an educated guess to offer you! ? Although I haven't tried this substitution, I actually think that aquafaba would work well as a substitute by weight. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Cocoa powder
I've made this recipe with Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and with natural cocoa powder, and both work well. The Dutch-processed cocoa variety just makes a richer chocolate cookie.
You can't, however, replace the cocoa powder with something that isn't chocolate. I've tried, with absolutely disastrous results, so I don't recommend it.
Melted chocolate
I used to make this recipe without melted chocolate, and the cookies were beautiful—but the recipe was much fussier. Here, we add 4 ounces of melted chocolate and reduce the confectioners' sugar, for a chewier, more stable and richer result.
I like to use 4 ounces of dark chocolate here, but you really can use any sort of good-quality chocolate you like (semi-sweet or milk chocolate are both great ideas). I wouldn't use white chocolate which is too soft, or unsweetened chocolate, which is too bitter.
Chocolate chips
I have tried making these cookies without any chips or other mix-in pieces and it's a disaster! The chips really help the cookies hold the batter in some sort of shape.
You can replace them with any other sort of chip you prefer, or with a mixture of chips and chopped nuts. Keep in mind that you need something in pieces that hold their shape in the oven.
Sugars
Since this recipe is so simple, the confectioners' sugar play a large role in its success. You can try using Swerve or Lankato brand alternative sugar, confectioners' variety.
Keep in mind that alternative sugars tend to be drying, so you might have to add some moisture. Maybe even some water? You'll have to experiment!
Tips for making these flourless chewy chocolate cookies
Be sure to use confectioners' sugar, not powdered sugar
Powdered sugar is just refined white sugar that's been ground into a fine powder. Confectioners' sugar has starch added to it, to help prevent caking.
Sift your confectioners' sugar for more even mixing
Confectioners' sugar may still clump, despite having added starch to help reduce caking. Since we're adding it to whipped egg whites that we don't want to deflate, sifting the sugar first will help the egg whites absorb the sugar, and stay fluffy.
Use a cookie or ice scoop for even portioning
This flourless chocolate cookie dough is relatively sticky, so the easiest way to portion the raw dough onto the baking sheet is with a spring-loaded ice cream scoop. A #50 scoop is the ideal size, but you can use a larger scoop and not fill it all the way.
Don't skip the parchment paper!
Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper helps ensure even baking, and prevents the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. You can use bleached (white) parchment paper, or unbleached (brown) parchment paper. Your choice!
Let your flourless chocolate cookies cool completely, so they don't fall apart
These cookies are quite stable—once they've cooled. Since they don't bake for very long in the oven, they're quite soft when they're done. If you try to pick one up before it's cooled, you'll have a mess on your hands!
How to store flourless chocolate cookies
Luckily, this revised flourless chocolate cookie recipe is really stable after baking, so it can easily be made ahead of time and stored for later.
Freezing baked flourless chocolate cookies
These cookies freeze just fine, although not perfectly, since the crispy parts become chewy. But the chewiness stays just right, and they taste great!
Freezing flourless chocolate cookie dough
The dough is quite stable with the added melted chocolate, but I still don't recommend freezing the unbaked cookie dough. I suspect the structure of the whipped meringue won't hold up.
Flourless chocolate cookies FAQs
Yes! As long as your mixing bowl is large enough to hold all the whipped egg whites, go ahead and double!
I'm afraid not! The base of these cookies is a meringue, which is made by whipping egg whites, and only whites without even a drip of the yolk, into peaks.
If you only have powdered sugar (also called icing sugar), which is confectioners' sugar without starch, I recommend sifting about 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into your powdered sugar.
Sure! You can use extra dark cocoa powder for a really dark-colored cookie. Either Dutch-processed cocoa powder (which is alkalized cocoa) or natural cocoa powder (which is more acidic) is fine, but Dutch-processed will make a richer, smoother cookie.
No, you need to use a combination of 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder and 4 ounces of melted chocolate. But you can use any type of melted chocolate in your cookies. That's the best way to deepen or lighten their flavor.
Were your egg whites whipped into soft peaks before carefully whipping in the sugar and cocoa powder? Did you fold in the melted chocolate carefully, to avoid compressing the meringue?
If you overbaked your cookies, and they're super crispy, try storing them in a plastic container overnight. They'll soften up a bit. But if your cookies are overbaked and blackened at all, there's nothing you can do to fix that burnt flavor.
If you're willing to whip the egg whites with a balloon whisk vigorously by hand for more than 5 or 6 minutes, you should be able to whip them into soft peaks by hand. Try adding 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice to help stabilize the proteins as you whip.
When it's time to add the sugar and cocoa powder, do it in smaller batches to protect the air you've worked so hard to add to the egg whites.
Troubleshooting for whipping egg whites
Why won't my egg whites whip into soft peaks?
When egg whites won't whip, there are a few likely explanations. Among them are:
- You had some yolk in your whites; any fat and your whites won't whip
- You used a poor quality brand of egg whites in the carton (most work fine; sometimes they don't, and I don't know why!)
- Your bowl wasn't squeaky clean; if there was any fat left behind from a previous mixture, you're in trouble!
What does it mean to whip egg whites into soft peaks?
Egg whites whipped into soft peaks, by hand with a large balloon whisk, or with a handheld or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, are bright white, and mostly hold their shape. When you lift the whisk, the peak you create in the whipped mixture falls over on itself gently.
How do I fix over-whipped egg whites?
Just add more egg whites by the drop to the stiff or even dry whipped whites, beginning to whisk again after the first couple drops. Like adding more heavy whipping cream to over-whipped cream, adding a bit more liquid should smooth things right out.
If you end up adding another whole egg white, just increase all of the other ingredients in the recipe by 33% and make more cookies!
Flourless Chocolate Cookies | Crispy, Chewy, Naturally Gluten Free
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- 3 (75 g) egg whites at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (173 g) confectioners’ sugar sifted (plus more for dusting)
- ½ cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ounces miniature chocolate chips or a combination of chopped nuts and chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and melt over a simmering bowl of water or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, in 30 second bursts, until smooth. Set aside to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer. Whip them at medium-high speed into soft peaks.
- Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar in 2 batches, whipping into glossy peaks after each addition.
- Add the cocoa powder and salt, and whip until most of the cocoa powder has been absorbed. Cocoa powder resists absorption, so begin at a slow speed or you’ll have a big mess of powder in the air.
- Using a silicone spatula or large mixing spoon, mix in the vanilla by hand. Scrape any sugar or cocoa powder from the sides of the bowl and incorporate it into the mixture.
- Add the melted chocolate, and fold it in as gently as possible until fully combined. The cookie dough will thicken considerably as you mix in the melted chocolate.
- Add the miniature chocolate chips, and fold into the cookie dough until evenly distributed throughout.
- Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop the cookie dough in portions about 2 teaspoonful portions onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
- With moistened fingers, tap down any rough edges, but try not to get the mounds of cookie dough too wet.
- Dust the tops of raw cookies lightly with more confectioners’ sugar. If any of the cookies absorb the sugar because they’re too wet, allow the extra moisture to evaporate a bit and dust them again.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until just set in the center, about 10 minutes. When the cookies are ready, the won’t glisten in the very center. Don’t overtake.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet until firm, about 10 minutes.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Emily Cotter says
I made these for a cookie swap and WOW!! Super simple to make, especially with a stand mixer (and using a microwave to melt the chocolate). These are very forgiving though every step. Egg whites didn’t whip quite enough, used normal semi-sweet chocolate chips for the batter, spooning them out looked so wonky, but they came out AMAZING!! I love the texture and flavor of these so much, and they were loved by both GF and non-GF friends (everyone was surprised at how yummy they were for GF!)
I will be saving this recipe to use forever, and trying with different add in flavors! Just used mini choc chips this time, but want to experiment with chopped nuts, or a nutella/melted chocolate mix.
Highly recommend this recipe to everyone that LOVES CHOCOLATE!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Emily, I’m so glad you loved the cookies so much! I do have to caution you that nutella is not going to work well as a chocolate substitute, since it doesn’t provide any structure, which, once cooled, chocolate does.
Caroline Costello says
I made these for a friend who is gluten intolerant. I was delighted with how they turned out. As I can eat gluten I didn’t want to spend a lot on special flour or ingredients but these were made with normal everyday things I already had. They were delicious and I had to hide them from the rest of my family so there were enough for my friend!Thank you for sharing your recipes Nicole xx
Jennifer Squires says
Well it took me a bit longer than 15 minutes but that’s probably because I reread the directions a zillion times lol. Btw, great detailed directions! Turned out fabulous! Thank you GFOAS
Nicole Hunn says
Haha yes, the 15 minutes of prep is active prep time. So glad you loved them, Jennifer! This really is the sort of recipe that you benefit from reading a few times first, so well done!
Antoinette says
These cookies are so delicious!
I will definitely make them again.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s great to hear, Antoinette!
Nancy James says
I tried these using aquafaba that had been in the fridge for a few days, but I brought it up to room temperature before whisking it. Everything seemed to be fine and looked like the video, but what came out of the oven was an entire pan of molten chocolate goo! I can attest to the fact that the batter tastes great. I’m not sure if I didn’t whisk the aquafaba enough to begin with or what.
Devon says
I tried these today and made sure to whip the egg whites until really foamy and thickening. I doubled the recipe, because I needed 24 cookies to take to an event. The cookies were still runny in the oven – not like your nice circles, and they stuck a bit to the parchment paper, so I finished them off in the fridge until I could safely peel them off the parchment. They taste amazing! But what might I have done wrong? Thanks for the recipe…
Nicole Hunn says
You may not have blended the ingredients enough since you doubled them, Devon. Next time, I’d recommend making two sets of batter, not doubling.
Laurie Pessetto says
Are you able to add nutritional info to the recipes? Diabetic! What would be carb count be?
Thanks
Nicole Hunn says
Except in very limited circumstances, Laurie, I don’t provide nutritional information. Feel free to use an online calculator yourself, which is what I would do anyway. I really like the one from cronometer!
Milvi says
Love the video. Scoop out 8 cookies and 6 come out of the oven!! Great way to watch those calories too! But seriously, your recipes are amazing. I thought the my new ‘go to’ chocolate cookie was the black bean recipe, but have to give this a try too.
Micky says
Aquafaba does work – substitute 6 tablespoons for this recipe. I also have made mine cane sugar free due to an allergy and since we don’t have sugar free icing sugar in South Africa, I blended 1 and 1/2 cups of coconut sugar with 4 heaped tablespoon of maizena (cornflour). The cookies were delicious (the dough even more so!) but very flat, crisp and sticky. Chewing them resulted in a lovely toffy rather than a fudge. For those that are new to using aquafaba, a quick tip: let it sit in the fridge for at least a day before use to become gelatinous which is quite important in keeping these cookies together.
Nicole Hunn says
Those are a lot of substitutions, Micky, which explains why your cookies really didn’t turn out as intended. Thanks for sharing your results!
Deb says
I can’t do sugar can I use Lakanto or stevia instead? Will it turn out alright? I am wanting some cookie n my diet is kinda restrictive with autoimmunity. Sugar is a no no! :(
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the ingredients and substitutions section, Deb, for all the information I have (including my best guesses!).
Rena Burns says
These cookies are amazing!! I made them tonight for a family gathering and everyone LOVED them!! They were quick and easy to make and they were all gone way too soon :-))
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so awesome, Rena! Thanks so much for letting us know. :)
Marji says
These look like the flourless chocolate cookie that Starbucks used to sell (that I miss terribly, since they stopped carrying them!) question: if I buy Trader Joe’s egg whites in a carton, how much do I pour out for 3 egg whites?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Marji, Yes! They’re very much like those. If you use egg whites in a carton, you need to measure them by weight. 75 grams total, by the recipe! Weight is always recommended anyway.
Eileen says
If I make cup 4 cup g.f. flour can I use it in any of my regular recipes?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid not, Eileen. Please see this page for full information, including why a true “cup for cup” replacement for conventional flour in gluten-containing recipes is a myth.
Ginny says
why can’t I combine the cocoa and sugar and salt and add a little at a time to the eggwhites
Nicole Hunn says
Ginny, I have made this recipe many, many times with many different combinations and this is the one that I find provides the most consistent results. But feel free to experiment on your own if that’s what you’d prefer!
Gina Kelley says
A local coffee shop makes some flourless chocolate cookies like this that are amazing. They always get flour on them from the other pastries in the case, so I’m reluctant to buy them. Now I can make my own! Thanks, Nicole!
Janice says
can not use corn starch, is there a substitute? Just wondering.
gfshoestring says
You really could use an equivalent amount of just about any starch, Janice. The cornstarch simply prevents the chips from clumping at the bottom of the cookies.
Nicole