These flourless brownie cookies (gluten free) are intensely chocolatey yet strangely light at the same time. These cookies have a little something for everyone! When we saw this recipe from The Kitchn, we knew they were a must try for our team this month! Even better? They’re gluten free without needing to have any alternative flours on hand, making them a great option if you need to whip up something for that gluten free friend without making an extra trip to the store.
This cookie relies heavily on powdered sugar and egg whites to create the structure, giving them a rich meringue-like consistency. They are crisp on the outside and both chewy and fudgey on the inside. Jody used our 70% Los Rios virgin chocolate discs plus our natural cocoa powder and, while both of these are characteristically fruity in flavor, in the cookie they added another dimension of sweetness but didn't impart fruitiness. 'Because the recipe is so sweet with 3 cups of powdered sugar, I wouldn't recommend using a chocolate with a cacao percentage below 70% (unless super-sweet is what you like). I added 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts because I wanted to balance the sweetness of the powdered sugar. If I make these again, I'll reduce the powdered sugar by 1/2 cup or use a higher percentage chocolate like our 85%.' Aubrey made a 1/2 batch, using our 70% Esmeraldas discs, she subbed the cornstarch for arrowroot, and finished them with Icelandic sea salt. 'I enjoyed how quickly the recipe came together. Like Jody, I’m not a huge fan of meringue but I though they were yummy.' Christina used 81% discs, which did help to balance out the sweetness significantly. That said, these cookies are definitely for a crowd that isn’t bothered by sweetness! In the notes below, we increased the quantity of chocolate discs from the original recipe, which we definitely recommend for a rich chocolate flavor.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups powdered sugar
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp kosher salt
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate discs
Flaky salt for topping
PREPARATION
- Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.
- Add egg whites and vanilla extract and mix. Use the paddle attachment and a low speed on the mixer or a rubber spatula. Mix for a few minutes until a loose, shiny dough forms that is reminiscent of a thick brownie batter.
- Stir in the chocolate discs. Cover
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and spray them liberally with cooking spray.
- Roll dough into about 12 balls (2 heaping tablespoons each). Evenly place on two pans (these cookies will spread a lot!).
- Sprinkle with flaky salt and bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating after about 7 minutes.
- The cookies are done when they are cracked on top and no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheets for one hour before removing.
