Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I made these for a group of people with various dietary restrictions—gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, and they were an absolute hit, even for a first attempt! These rich, fudgey cookies are a cinch to make and definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Author: Vincci Tsui, RD

Recipe type: Baked goods, dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: About 25-30 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites (if you separating eggs makes you nervous, you can definitely use liquid egg whites here)

• 1½ tsp (22 mL) vanilla

• 1¾ cup (435 mL) icing sugar

• ¾ cup (185 mL) cocoa powder

• 1 tsp (5 mL) instant coffee powder

• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

• Up to 2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips (There are only about 2 Tbsp in the cookies in the photo)

• Fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt(optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.

2. Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or ?, beat egg whites in a medium bowl on medium speed until they form soft peaks.

3. Stir in vanilla, and sift in icing sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee, and salt. (If you don't have a sieve, you can just mix the dry ingredients together in a smaller bowl and dump them into the bowl with the egg.) Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until incorporated. The batter should be thick AF.

4. Fold in chocolate (if using).

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lined baking sheets (or tablespoonfuls for larger cookies). Bake in preheated oven until the cookies are slightly puffed up and have formed a bit of a crust on top, about 8 minutes (11-12 for the larger cookies).

6. Optional: Sprinkle the tops with a bit of sea salt as they cool. The cookies will fall a bit as they cool.