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Flourless Chocolate Cookies – you don’t need butter or oil for these! They taste like a brownie cookie with intense chocolate flavor, crunchy outside and chewy inside, and they’re rich, fudgy and so decadent!
This flourless chocolate cookie recipe is what I turn to when I have a serious chocolate craving and can’t decide between cookies or brownies. It combines the best of both! They are fudgy like brownies but with the crispy, chewy outside texture of cookies and they happen to be gluten free chocolate cookies too, like my flourless chocolate cake and my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies!
Why Flourless Cookies Work
- Even though they are flourless, they still produce a chewy, rich cookie.
- The secret to these cookies: egg whites. There is no butter or oil in these cookies. There isn’t even any leavening!
- They’re accidentally gluten-free!
Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar): Be sure to measure your sugar correctly, and if you’re going for a gluten-free cookie make sure your powdered sugar is gluten-free.
- Salt: Needed because these are SO rich and chocolatey. The salt helps cut the sweetness.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. You can use Special Dark, regular, or Dutch Process.
- Egg Whites: Be sure to buy large eggs. I don’t have success with these using the egg whites from the carton so separate your own eggs and be sure not to get any of the egg yolk in the whites for best results.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use baking chunks or chips, any flavor. You can even add nuts.
How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Sift dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift then whisk the powdered sugar, salt, cocoa.
- Stir in the egg whites and vanilla. If the batter stays crumbly, add the third egg white.
- Once you have a thick dough, stir in the chocolate chips. Let batter sit 30 minutes.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray. If you use silicone mats, be sure to spray them, too. Use a cookie scoop to form each cookie. Place cookie dough two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Bake the cookies at 350°F until they’ve lost most of their glossy sheen. Cool them on the pan before removing them from the pan.
Storing & Freezing
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Cool the cookies completely and store them in a freezer bag or container. They will freeze well for two to three months.
Expert Tips
- I’ve mentioned it already, but repeating it – the dough is very thick! There’s nothing wrong – it’s supposed to be that thick. Stir it slowly to keep the cocoa and powdered sugar from flying out – trust me, I learned this the hard way!
- I stir these by hand but you can use an electric mixer if you prefer.
- If you like nuts feel free to add chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough. I’ve included this as an option in the recipe card.
- I know it seems redundant to line a nonstick baking pan with parchment and then spray the parchment paper with cooking spray, but if you don’t, your cookies will stick. So, don’t skip the cooking spray.
- Keep an eye on the cookies while they bake. I think they are perfect when they are no longer glossy except for a few spots in the center.
- Don’t try to remove the cookies from the pan when they are hot – they need to set, so it’s better to let them cool on the baking sheet.
FAQ
Yes, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is fine. Any kind of cocoa powder, except black cocoa, will work for this recipe.
Be sure to use large egg whites and the right amount of powdered sugar. The best way to measure the sugar is with the spoon and level method.
The dough will be very sticky, but it should not be sticky once the cookies are baked. If your baked cookies are sticky, they are probably underbaked.
As long as you use gluten-free powdered sugar, they are gluten-free. Be sure to double-check the labels.
The dough will be thick but not so thick that you can’t stir it. If yours is too thick, it could be because there is too much powdered sugar and cocoa powder in the dough. Be sure to measure both using the spoon and level method. Also, if you use small egg whites, that could make the dough too stiff. Be sure to use large ones. If you’ve done all these things, it could be the brand of powdered sugar or cocoa powder that you use.I have found that different brands of cocoa and different brands of powdered sugar (even eggs) will affect how the dough behaves, but the cookies still bake just fine.
Flourless Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (283g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-3 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (85g) chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Sift together the powdered sugar, salt, cocoa, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add egg whites and vanilla and stir until a thick mixture forms. It will look like it’s not enough liquid – just keep stirring, but do it carefully so you don’t spill cocoa mixture all over the place. The batter will eventually come together. It’s very, very thick. Stir in the baking chunks and nuts, if using.
- Add vanilla extract and 2 large egg whites and mix carefully. It will be very thick; if it's very crumbly even after mixing for a minute or so, add the third egg white. The batter will be thick. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using). Let batter sit for 30 minutes before scooping.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Yes, even though you’re using parchment you need to spray it or grease it. You can use silicone baking mats, but spray them too.
- Scoop 1 or 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving a few inches between them. The dough is thick and sticky and the cookies will spread.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until most of the cookie is no longer glossy. There may still be a spot or two of glossy in the center. Let cool completely before removing from the pan using a spatula. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure to measure these correctly. Do not pack your powdered sugar or cocoa. It’s best if you weigh the ingredients to ensure you do not use too much.
- Dutch process cocoa is fine
- If you’re making these GF make sure your powdered sugar is GF.
- The dough is thick when it’s stirring together – it WILL come together!
- Don’t forget to spray your parchment with nonstick spray or they’ll stick bad.
Recipe Nutrition
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Where is the cornstarch in the recipe?
There is none – thanks for catching that. The old recipe had issues and I edited it but missed that one reference.
These are lovely when baked but the dough does NOT come together with these proportions! Don’t spend ages stirring like an idiot thinking there’s enough liquid here – there isn’t! I added another egg white and a splash of water to get past the dry crumbs stage of the mixture. This recipe needs amending!
Not a batter, a dry mess. I added 3/4 Cup of water, the ONLY way this comes together and then just barely. It’s still gluten free with water and it baked and tasted just fine. There are better flourless recipes out there.
Was looking forward to a brookie type end result, but I ended up with a flat mess also.
These cookies aren’t supposed to be broke like. For that you’ll want my fudgy brownie cookie: https://www.crazyforcrust.com/fudgy-brownie-cookies/
I was hoping for a chewy chocolate cookie but I got a flat mess. I followed the recipe exactly. I am an experienced baker so not like I didn’t know what I was doing. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. The batter was not thick when I put together. I measured exactly also. Glad it worked for some though.
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