Not sure what to do with leftover egg whites? Whip up a batch of these chewy Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies (aka Egg White 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 small batch chocolate chip cookies and small batch 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 after sitting for 30 minutes a skin forms on the outside. 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!
- Irish Soda Bread Muffins – not only do these moist muffins use up an egg yolk, it also uses up leftover buttermilk you may have in your fridge.
- Tomato Caesar Salad Bruschetta – Here’s a savory way to use an egg yolk from Foxes Love Lemons
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.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, raisins, or combination of both
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar and cocoa powder then stir in the salt.
- By hand using a spoon, stir in the egg white and vanilla until batter is fully moistened. It'll be thick yet loose, similar to brownie batter.
Make sure you're measuring your vanilla and not eyeballing it. Any extra vanilla will add more liquid, making your batter a little too loose.
The measurements are correct. However, egg whites are finicky between different sizes and humidity outside. If it's too soupy, you can add an extra 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar but it'll never be firm like cookie dough. - Stir in the chocolate chips and/or raisins.
- Using a #40 cookie scoop or two spoons, spoon the batter into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions and drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Let sit for 30 minutes. They should form a "skin" on the outside with no batter sticking to your finger when lightly touched.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops are cracked and glossy. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
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, 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
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
ahhh I love this kind of cookie! SO SO chocolatey!
Carla says
The best kind! :D
Dawn says
Ha, I tried these yesterday, let’s just say I had technical difficulty, tried to 5x the recipe, by the time I finished they were no longer gluten free ????but surprisingly chewy and delicious. Thanks for sharing, God bless, Dawn
Carla says
I’m not sure I fully understand. Are you saying you added flour? The batter is super thick, so I don’t see how it would even take on the extra flour. Perhaps your math was incorrect when you multiplied it? Regardless, I’m glad you were still able to salvage the cookies!
Caroline says
I had the same problem, the liquid was very wet and the cookies turned out very flat. I used American cups – what do you use to measure? Should I use scales instead? I used a extra large egg white… thanks
Carla says
As listed in the ingredients, I used a large egg white. An extra large egg white is too much, which is why you had trouble with the batter.
Mike says
Same here Carla !
I discovered I need to spray my nonstick cookie pan big time !!!!
Carla says
If you don’t line with parchment paper, then yes cooking spray is needed.
K says
Oops. I guess you can’t sub 1/4 cup of the sugar for 3 T of Splenda. Must need the cornstarch from the powdered sugar for structure. Plus my egg white was 1 1/4 oz.
I got FLAT chocolate puddles. But the taste is spot on! Really kicked my chocolate craving. Thanks!
Carla says
Oh no! Thanks for letting me know Splenda won’t work with this recipe. Glad they were still edible!
Delaina Almore says
You can use swerve powdered sugar it’s at my Walmart
Gia says
Try using Swerve confectioners sugar.
Yumi says
Just want to confirm powdered sugar is same as confectioners sugar? Making them right now so hope to hear soon
Carla says
Yes, it is.
Lisa Hall says
How do you recommend making these large batch,? Can I just multiple up br amount of eggs whites,? Thanks!
Carla says
Yes, since it uses 1 egg white you can easily multiple it by however many egg whites you want to use.
Tania says
Unfortunately this is the worst cookie recipe I ever tried. I got a huge puddle of gummy weirdness even though I followed the recipe.
Carla says
Hmm let’s figure this out, but I need more information from you. First, are you in Bahrain? I looked up your IP address and that’s what it’s telling me. Are you baking at normal altitude (not high altitude)? What did you use for measuring cups? Something like these? https://amzn.to/2WnVkbV (I ask because I’ve had people use coffee mugs for measuring cups). How long did you let the cookies sit on the tray before baking? And lastly, what kind of egg white did you use? Is it from a large egg, not medium or small? Oh and did you use powdered sugar, not granulated sugar? It has cornstarch in it, which is needed to help thicken the cookie.
Thea says
Hi. We have a leftover egg white so I plan to make this later. My comment is about your responses to viewers. I think it’s awesome that you respond and do so very thoughtfully. I will post about our cookies later. We plan to make them without chocolate chips because ran out of them and we are not shopping right now because of covid19. We are in NYC and are staying home as much as possible so we plan to put in some dried cherries bits instead. I will let you know how it goes!
Carla says
Thank you for noticing! I try really hard to answer every comment I get. As for dried cherries, I had someone via Instagram tell me she made them with dried cranberries, so you should be good to go!
T says
I am also enjoying all of your thoughtful replies! Waiting to put mine in the oven while I learn all the tips for next time hehe
Lynn says
I gave this recipe a go tonight to use up some leftover egg whites! I didn’t have a weighing scale so I wasn’t sure how much egg white I had – could I suggest that you include a photo or description for what the batter is supposed to look like when they’re ready to go on to the tray? I’d like to give this another go cause the flavour was great and I love the idea of a simple GF recipe. Mine turned out like chewy, chocolatey, meringue-y cookies (my proportions were probably wayyy off)
Carla says
I’m not sure what you were expecting, but these cookies *are* chewy, chocolately, and meringue like so it sounds like you did fine! Weighing the egg white is to determine how many cookies you end up with – 4, 5, or 6. Sometimes people need a specific amount, so I wanted them to know what to expect.
Laila says
Hello! I gave this recipe a try. The taste was yummy and I used exact ingredients with the metric cup system. I have professional baking cups and tsp/tbsp measurements. When I made the batter is was very liquidy. I couldn’t make them into ball they just would spread. What could I be doing wrong?
Carla says
I measured my ingredients using U.S. measuring cups. I’m looking up the metric cup system and I don’t think it’s the same. What I’m reading is 1 cup US is equivalent to 0.95 cup Metric. If that’s the system you used, then your measurements were off due to that. Not enough dry ingredients to go with your 1 egg white.
Laurentia Opperman says
Just to make sure before I make this recipe, but I don’t whip up the egg whites before mixing with the dry ingriedients? I plan to double this recipe as I will be making a tart and will have 2 egg whites leftover
Looking forward to your response.
Carla says
Nope! The directions are as written. No whipping necessary.
Laurentia Opperman says
Great. Thanks! Thanks for the speedy response as well. It is much appreciated!
Will it make a big difference to the recipe if I do whip the egg whites first and then fold in the dry ingriedients?
Carla says
I’m not sure why you’d want to do that when you literally stir everything together with a spoon. Yes, it would make a big difference in the recipe. Different technique changes the result, a result I have not tested. If you still want to whip the egg whites, I recommend finding a different recipe.
Laurentia Opperman says
Okay.
Thank you very much once again!
Jill says
This might be a silly question, but if I triple the egg whites do I need to triple all ingredients? Thank you , Jill
Carla says
Yes. Baking is precise, so your ratio of ingredients need to stay the same. If you’re tripling the egg whites, you need to triple everything else. Otherwise you’re going to have one wet mess on your hands with not enough dry ingredients.
Jill says
Disregard the last post. I had 7 oz of egg whites multiplied the recipe. Flavor is great! Cookie is a little flat but I should have used less whites. Thanks for the recipe
Carla says
Glad you were able to make it work for what you had on hand!
Erin says
I’ve been looking for a recipe that would allow me to not waste my egg white after making a batch of cookies that called for a single yolk, and this recipe was perfect!
I definitely have a new favorite chocolate cookie recipe!
Carla says
Perfect! Happy to hear this recipe worked out for you.
Jenna says
Mine is super runny is it supposed to be a thick dough or a more liquid it wont form balls should i just bake the puddles
Carla says
As mentioned in the directions, “using a larger egg white may result in a looser batter that flows.” What size egg white did you use?
Nikki says
My batter was loose and I was a little worried. But they turned out very good. Very Chocolatey with a smooth crispy outside. Very good use of egg whites! Thank you
Carla says
Glad they turned out for you!
Elisa says
I don’t have cocoa powder and won’t be going shopping soon due to COVID. Can I sub cocoa mix for the cocoa?
Carla says
Cocoa powder and cocoa mix are highly different because cocoa mix also contains other ingredients, such as sugar and powdered milk. Plus there isn’t a ton of cocoa powder, so 3 tablespoons cocoa mix will not have the same amount as 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Personally, I wouldn’t because the ingredient list isn’t very forgiving. Cocoa mix will have more sugar, but if you reduced the powdered sugar to compensate for that, then the batter will be too thin. With all of that said, if you proceed with it please let me know how they turn out.
Nancy says
I wasn’t careful with measuring because I had a lot of dalgona chocolate gone wrong. So my version. Was very liquidy but I put them in my silicone baking cups, and they are so good!
Carla says
I’m not sure of the connection between this recipe and Dalgona, but regardless I’m glad you were able to make it work!
Lamorna Hollingsworth says
Hi, can you please post this recipe in grams so that those outside the US can make it? Also, grams will be a lot more accurate. Thank you
Carla says
I don’t have the measurements in grams. Here’s a handy conversion converter you can reference: https://www.weekendbakery.com/cooking-conversions/
Rafael says
Hi! If I will be making a large batch for these scrumptious cookies, should I multiply the measurement of the ingredients? Thank you!
Carla says
Yes, if you want more cookies than listed you’ll have to increase the recipe.
Mike says
Carla, Thanks for all the support .
If I were to whip the whites would they make it easier to combine ingredients ?
Thanks
Carla says
Whipping egg whites would make this a different recipe. Honestly, I don’t think it gets much easier than stirring everything together.
Mike says
And with that advice I won’t change nuttin !
Molly says
Hi,
Is it possible to use commercial pasteurized egg whites from a store bought container? I know they can’t be used if you need to beat egg whites into “peaks”…having learned that from experience! Thank you!
Carla says
I have not tried it but if I had to guess, I’d say yes since you’re just stirring everything together. Let me know how it turns out!
Laura says
That’s what I used and it turned out just fine.
Diana says
Mine came out great!!
Carla says
Oh good!
Brittney says
I only had enough powdered sugar to make half of this recipe but they still turned out great! I didn’t have eggs, only egg whites and I think the key is weighing them out. Highly recommend!
Carla says
Happy to hear you were able to adapt and make it successful!
Surbhi says
Hi, I tried this recipe and it came out great in terms of the consistency, but it was a little too sweet for my family’s taste (which I know sounds silly). If I reduce the sugar but keep everything else the same, would the runny consistency ruin the bake?
Carla says
Powdered sugar is used to thicken the batter (like how you thicken frosting with powdered sugar), so if you reduced it I doubt it’ll work.
Whitney C says
I made a big batch of these! How long will they keep for and can they be frozen?
Carla says
I’d say up to 1 week at room temperature. As for freezing, I believe yes but haven’t tried it myself.
Debbie says
These were delicious straight out of the oven. But they dried up quickly in a day. Is there a way to prevent that? I stored them in a plastic container.
Carla says
Hmm not sure. That’s how I stored my cookies and they were fine.
Elaine Leighton says
Made these to use up an egg white today – they were delicious and unlike anything else I have had. So easy too.
A new favourite I suspect and being gluten-free very useful for a couple of my friends.
Carla says
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the cookies.
Anna says
This came up absolutely as sinful-chocolate-fudge!!! Thanks so much for the recipe. My choloate bits melted though. Any suggestions on how to make them stay unmelted like you have on pictures?
Carla says
I used chocolate chips, which retain their shape.
Tammy says
I have a ton of powdered egg whites (from angel food cake boxes), how could I make this recipe using this instead if an actual wet egg white? Suggestions please.
Carla says
I’ve only made this recipe with egg whites from fresh eggs. You would need to figure out how to turn the powdered into liquid first before using.
Quinn says
These are kind of like a flourless chocolate pecan cookie that Whole Foods makes, just not as pretty. Fun to try a new kind of cookie and easy to make. Flavor was good, but not sure I’d make again. Didn’t care for the chocolate chips (which is crazy b/c I looove chocolate chips) so if were making again would just leave these out. Thanks for the fun recipe to try.
Carla says
Thanks for the feedback.
Lena b says
Fabulous recipe. I doubled the recipe and it worked fine. Looked just like your pictures.
Jane says
I got a ton of leftover egg whites from yesterday, so I am very excited to try this recipe later. I was thinking though, I noticed in the comments some didn’t get the right consistency and turned out too wet, so if that would happen to me later, I was thinking about adding a bit of cornstarch instead of more powdered sugar so it wouldn’t turn out too sweet. Do you think it would work?
Carla says
I have not tested it with cornstarch, so if you try it let me know how it turns out.
Jane says
Hi Carla. I tried your recipe and it was so chocolatey! I love it! Though it was a bit on the sweet side, the gooey chocolate was perfect. I divided the batter into three batches, the first one was purely from your recipe. It was a bit flat, though I admit I eyeballed the egg whites so, it was my bad. I guess I was too lazy to pull out the scale. I added cornstarch to the second batch and it was better! It had more structure and it was almost the same as the one you have in the photo, but a bit thinner. I was careful not to add too much cornstarch as I was afraid I might get hard cookies. To the last part, I added a bit of flour. I know it beats the purpose of a GF cookie. I just tried experimenting on the remainder. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I learned a lot today!
Carla says
Thank you for the feedback!
Dani H says
These are delicious! I added some flaked sea salt to the top once they were baked which added a salty sweet element. I used parchment paper and struggled to get them off it.. however I don’t think I used the right cookie scoop size & maybe slightly under baked them.. Will definitely bake again!
Carla says
Love the addition of sea salt!
BJ says
Hi willl be trying to makw these cookies :) though would iy be possible for you to post a picture of the cookie batter end result?
Carla says
I don’t have a photo, but next time I make them I’ll take one.
Kallista Halim says
I thought I would mess this up but these turned up pretty nicely. The only mistake was I blobbed each of them too much so I got 4 HUGE cookies lol. thank you for the recipe!!
Carla says
Ha well it’s still one cookie serving, right? ;)
Cathy says
Made these cookies tonight because I had 3 left over egg whites. These turned out great! Followed the recipe as written, just tripped it to suit my needs. I was worried when I started mixing everything because it didn’t look like it would come together but it did! Great recipe with minimal ingredients and quick! Thanks for the great recipe.
Carla says
Happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies!
Elizabeth says
These look so chocolatey and delicious. I am wondering if anyone has tried to make this as a large cookie or crust? I’d love to spread the whole thing onto a sheet of parchment, maybe try to push up the sides a bit like a pie crust, bake it, and top with vanilla custard and raspberries. Any thoughts or experiences doing something similar?
Carla says
I personally haven’t. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
Amanda says
Hi! I made these yesterday and they’re delicious! I had some toffee bits on hand, so I used those instead of chocolate chips. I used parchment paper when I baked them, but they still stuck to the paper. Do you think that’s because of the toffee chips, a baking issue, or should I just spray the parchment paper? I’ll definitely be making these again! I’m printing the recipe to add to my collection. Thank you!
Carla says
I’ve never had it stick to parchment paper, but if that’s your experience then you can spray next time you make them.
Amanda says
Thank you! It could very well be the toffee chips. Those are so sticky when they’re warm! Again, I love your recipe! Thank you for posting it.
Caroline Costello says
These turned out perfectly and looked just like the photo. I had two egg whites to use up so doubled the ingredients. They tasted delicious as well and are great for anyone who is gluten intolerant. I will definitely make them again and might add some chopped nuts to the mixture next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Carla says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Caroline Costello says
I am not vegan but sometimes do some vegan baking. Do you think these would work with aquafaba (the water from a tin of chickpeas) if I used an equivalent amount to replace the egg white? I might just try one day for myself and will let you knowhow I get on!
Carla says
I have no experience with aquafaba, so you’ll have to research how to substitute with it and if it’ll work. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
Danielle says
I let mine sit for 30 minutes and they developed a film however unlike the pictures of yours the film did not “go away”. The tops look like melted chocolate and the bottoms have a bit of a foot like a macaron that extends outside the melted chocolate top. While I was able to remove most them in one piece, the bottoms also stuck pretty significantly to the parchment paper. Any thoughts on where I went wrong?
Carla says
Do you have a photo you can email me? Because I’m not sure without seeing. Did you change the ingredients at all, even a tiny bit? How many egg whites did you use? Did you use powdered sugar and not granulated? Did you use a sugar substitute? Did you use chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate? Did you measure your vanilla as directed and not add too much? Did you use an oven thermometer to check the temperature? Are you baking at high altitude? Did you stir everything together and not whip the egg white (I actually had someone ask me if they should whip it, so I have to ask).
Danielle says
I have emailed a photo to you. I did not alter the recipe. I used 3 egg whites and so I multiplied the other ingredients by 3. I used icing sugar (what powdered sugar is known as in Canada) & chocolate chips. I measured the vanilla using liquid measuring spoons and stirred everything together. I did use an oven thermometer however have not had any other recipe issues with this oven including with cakes and meringues. And I live at a relatively low elevation (about half of Pittsburg). Thanks
Carla says
Got the photo! Thank you for sending that. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but they look like maybe the edges got burnt? Since you’re outside the US, I wonder if there’s a difference in ovens or even ingredients. Just learned this morning flour here and flour in the UK is different.
Jaye says
We made these for the first time last night. They are so good, and made just enough for a treat for two (we really like our cookies.) I loved the texture, and was amazed at how rich and fusgy the inside turned out to be. I was halfway through my first cookie when I insisted the recipe be saved. These will be in regular rotation. Thank you!
Carla says
Happy to hear that! Thanks for the feedback.
Terri Gallagher says
I needed to use up 3 egg whites and since I didn’t have to do anything like whip these, I tried this recipe. I did have to add a bit more powdered sugar as suggested in the recipe (my eggs were pretty big). The baking took time, having to let the cookies sit for a period of time before baking just takes longer especially if you only have 1 pan. Also, I found they needed a bit more time to cook than I expected. The taste of the cookies was very good, crunchy and chewy, with a rich chocolate flavor. I would make these again, thank you for sharing!
Carla says
It’s possible they needed more time since I’m assuming you tripled the recipe. Regardless I’m glad you were able to make it work for your 3 egg whites!
Jo-Ann says
Hi Carla, I tried this recipe for the first time and it turned out pretty well. I didn’t have enough chocolate chips, so I added some dried cranberries. Nice! However, I would prefer it to be less sweet. Is it possible to cut down on the sugar or choc chips and add in more other dried ingredients such as dried fruits or nuts instead and still get the same thick batter?
Carla says
The powdered sugar has two roles – sweetener and thickener. If you reduced the sugar, then the batter won’t be thick enough. You can maybe play around with cornstarch but I have not tried that myself.
Debbie says
Just made these and demolished two before they were even cold.
Delicious and a great alternative use of left over egg whites.
Thank you for sharing 😃
Carla says
Happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies!
iris says
these were surprisingly delish! i live in a really humid tropical country so the cookies didn’t dry even after i left it out for an hour, but they baked pretty well regardless – just no cracked tops after baking! they came out with a crispy edge and a very chewy center, and an almost melt-in-your-mouth texture (maybe bc they’re similar to meringue cookies?). very yummy, and will be making these again! happy new year! :)
Carla says
Yes, they’re very similar to meringue cookies but without whipping the egg whites. Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Layra says
Made these last night with a 1.25 ounce egg white- delicious!! Promised my kids I’d make them again today as I had another egg white. Same 1.25 ounce egg. This time batter is much thinner. We shall see which we prefer.
It’d be super helpful if you could update your post with a photo of your cookies pre bake so we could have an understanding of “soupy”/brownie batter. The differences between last night and tonight are so extreme, and I already added an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar…
Carla says
What was the weather like on each day? Was it rainy or maybe more/less humid? Egg whites are finicky and moisture in the air can affect them. Assuming all the ingredients, measurements, etc stayed the same, my guess is that.
Paula says
I made these today and they are fabulous – thank you for the recipe. ! I added a few broken walnuts just to take the edge off the chocolate hit and it still worked. See what you mean about the egg white quantity though… I actually started with less and then added more to loosen the mixture and get to a workable consistency. I also made mine a bit thicker and smaller, only because I was nervous to add too much egg white. Will def make them again.
Carla says
Yea egg white can be finicky, so I’m glad you trusted your gut on it! Love the idea of adding walnuts too.