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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!
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, like a flourless chocolate cake, doesn't require any special ingredients like individual flours. That means that you can bake flourless with, say, beans in black bean brownies or peanut butter flourless peanut butter cookies. If you do have a flour blend, of course, you can learn all about gluten free cookies recipes including tips and FAQs. If you have almond flour, you can make almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
Why this recipe works
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.
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
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!
Recipe tips
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 sugar
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.
Let them cool completely
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!
Troubleshooting for whipping egg whites
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.
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!
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage instructions
Store leftover cookies in a sealed glass container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze them. They will lose their crisp edges, but they'll stay chewy and still taste great after being frozen for up to 3 months.
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.
FAQs
No, 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.
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
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!
These cookies are so delicious!
I will definitely make them again.
That’s great to hear, Antoinette!
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.
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…
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.
Are you able to add nutritional info to the recipes? Diabetic! What would be carb count be?
Thanks
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!
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.
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.
Those are a lot of substitutions, Micky, which explains why your cookies really didn’t turn out as intended. Thanks for sharing your results!
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! :(
Please see the ingredients and substitutions section, Deb, for all the information I have (including my best guesses!).
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 :-))
That’s so awesome, Rena! Thanks so much for letting us know. :)
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?
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.