Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Not sure what to do with leftover egg whites? Whip up a batch of these chewy Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies! They’re naturally gluten free and taste so sinfully fudgy, nobody will miss the flour.

Let’s talk about egg whites! Are you tired of wondering what to do with leftover egg whites? Do you want to cry every time you toss one in the trash? I know I am.

Between many rounds of chocolate chip cookie bars and lemon bars, I probably had at least a dozen egg whites in my fridge. Egg whites I end up throwing out unless I have a recipe ready to go. Sure, I could freeze them, but then six months later I end up tossing them anyway.

Since I had so many egg whites, I thought about what I could make. Originally I wanted to make meringue cookies, the kind you pipe into triangles. However, that involved whipping egg whites to stiff peaks then piping onto a baking sheet. I didn’t want to deal with any of that.

Then I remembered these Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies. They have a similar chewy texture but way less work, not to mention out-of-this-world fudgy between the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. All you do is whisk the egg white by hand with a few ingredients. You don’t need to whip egg whites. In fact, you don’t need a mixer at all.

And since they’re flourless, they’re also naturally gluten free. If you need a dessert for someone who is gluten free, these cookies will say “I didn’t forget about you”. They taste so sinfully good, nobody will miss the flour.

The batter is similar to my brownie cookies where it seems too runny, but after sitting for 30 minutes a skin forms on the outside, which reduces how much they spread. If you’ve ever made macarons, the concept is similar to that.

I highly encourage you follow the recipe and let the batter rest for 30 minutes. However, if you do skip this part, your cookies will still be edible albeit a lot thinner.

The first batch I baked was perfect. I thought, “Great! These should be pretty easy to make again.” Except it wasn’t. The second, third, and even fourth times the batter was too stiff and ended up more like cookie dough. Delicious but not the chewy, fudgy texture I was expecting.

I reduced both the sugar and cocoa power. Better! But now I’m getting anywhere from 4-6 cookies. What happened to the perfect 6 cookies I got from the first round?

I started thinking about the only ingredient left – the egg white. Exactly how accurate is 1 egg white? Do all egg whites weigh the same?

Turns out 1 large egg white can weigh anywhere from 7/8 ounce to 1 1/4 ounce. That small difference will determine how many cookies you make.

You don’t need to break out the digital scale (although if you’re buying one, I have this one), but if the yield is important to you, here’s how many cookies you will make:

• 1 egg white weighing 7/8 ounce = 4 cookies
• 1 egg white weighing 1 ounce = 5 cookies
• 1 egg white weighing 1 1/4 ounce = 6 cookies

I was hesitant in posting this recipe because the yield is dependent on the egg white, but it’s such an excellent cookie I decided to take a chance.

What To Do With Leftover Egg Yolks

Using only the egg white in these flourless cookies gives them their chewy texture, but it also gives you a leftover egg yolk. Here are some recipes to use up that extra egg yolk:

• Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – The best cookie now made in a loaf pan.
• Small Batch Lemon Bars – Craving a little sunshine? Lemon bars will brighten you right up!
• Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookie Cups – Peanut butter lovers won’t be able to resist these cookie cups!
• Tomato Caesar Salad Bruschetta – Here’s a savory way to use an egg yolk from Foxes Love Lemons

Adapted from Mama Gourmand