Chewy Chocolate Flourless Cookies

… I know. That’s such a boring title.

I’m a simple gal, and I don’t like guesswork when it comes to what I’m eating. Maybe a little more imagination in the headline department would make this a more interesting blog post, but i’m scratching a hole in my head pondering it.

Moving on. For such a simple cookie, there are different things about this particular morsel that makes it wonderful. 

  • It’s chewy.
  • It’s chocolate.
  • It has crispy edges.
  • It’s gluten-free.
  • It has toasted walnuts.
  • It’s somewhat meringue-y.
  • It makes your house smell amazing.
  • They disappear in minutes.

About the only thing non-exciting about these particular cookies is that they make for especially boring pictures. We can probably blame that on user error, but let’s not dwell on yet another thing that needs improvement.

A nice friend at work just recently celebrated a birthday and was kind enough to drop me off at the mechanic when my car needed work a few weekends ago. Handwritten notes and baked goods are OBVIOUSLY the best way (if not the only way) to say thank you, so I went on a search to find the best gluten-free treat for my non-gluten friend.

I stumbled across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s blog, made a few adjustments and let me tell you… these things were a hit.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of walnut pieces
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup of good cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
Toast the walnuts either in the oven or on the stove until they are nice and smelly in a good way. I took Deb’s advice and toasted on a baking sheet in the oven for 9 minutes at 350.
Then, preheat the oven to 320. Make sure your oven racks are in the dead center of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
While that’s warming up, whisk together your sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl, or in the stand mixer at a low speed. When they are combined, add the egg whites and vanilla until the mixture is just combined. Do not overmix. Then, fold in the toasted walnuts with a large spoon.
Now, spoon the batter out on the baking sheets, putting about 12 or so per sheet. 
(I think I got about 16 or so cookies out of this recipe.) Don’t worry about these spreading out too much. I baked these for exactly 14 minutes, turning the pans around from front to back halfway through to make sure they cooked evenly. The original recipe says you know when they are done when they are slightly cracked and glossy on the tops of the cookies. 
When done, place the parchment paper and cookies on a cooling rack and let them cool a little before moving the cookies onto the cooling rack. Once they are completely cooled, pack in an airtight bag or container. 
I’m not sure what the shelf life is on these things, since they were devoured quite quickly. I’d imagine you’d have about 3 or 4 days before they got too hard.

Chocolate, chewy, flourless, gluten-free, walnut cookies… not the most attractive name ever. Creative friends: Name this cookie and I’ll make you a batch :)

Tags: gluten-free cookies flourless chocolate walnut