Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies

cruelshoes · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 2152 Location: Washington State

Modified from http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/food_200306_cookies.jhtml. These cookies are really good. Kind of like a crispy merengue on the outside but chewy in the middle. They wil not hold up well in a lunchbox because they are somewhat delecate, but they are delicious. I store them in the cookie jar with a piece of parchment paper in between each one.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies

Deep, dark chocolate cookies with walnuts.

3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 1 minute with a paddle.

In another bowl, combine the vanilla and egg whites. With the mixer running, slowly add the whites and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.

With a 2-ounce ice cream scooper (or large tablespoon), scoop cookie dough and place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Make sure to space the cookies about 3 inches apart (cookies will spread while baking).

Lower the oven temperature to 325° and bake for 14 minutes or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the counter and allow the cookies to cool completely. Increase the heat again and repeat the process for the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 dozen good sized cookies.
_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!

A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Edifying Conscience · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 2262

This recipe sounds pretty good to me. I need a bunch of cookies (and recipes) for a meeting later this week. I'll make a 1/4 batch tonight to see just how delicate they are.

Thanks!

ostrich · Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 3727 Location: Nebraska

These sound alot like the chocolaty flourless cookies WF sells. If so, they're excellent! Crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They hold up pretty well in a plastic container.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

I lie below, you float above
In the pretty white ships that I am dreaming of

amdean · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Canberra, Australia

What's a standard size for eggs? I made this recipe but the "dough" was very runny and still a little undercooked after 20 minutes. I'm wondering whether the eggs I used were too large.

They still tasted good!

Thanks

cruelshoes · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 2152 Location: Washington State

I used size "large" eggs. Don't know what that would be equivalent to in AU. Here is an egg chart that explains the different egg sizes here in the US. http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/sizeequivalents.html. The batter is a bit loose but definitely shouldn't be runny.

Welcome to the board!
_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!

A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

amdean · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Canberra, Australia

Thanks for the information, and the welcome Smile

A bit of maths and it looks like my current carton of eggs are jumbo or larger (800g for 1 dozen).

I'll just have to try again. Hmmm, maybe with a mixture of walnuts and macadamias.

The Edifying Conscience · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 2262

Colleen,
I'm about to make these and am a bit baffled. Did you really mix the dry ingredients for 1 minute?? I'm surprised the whites didn't have to be mixed alone.

Baffled but willing...

cruelshoes · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 2152 Location: Washington State

Nope, you just add the egg whites into the dry ingredients. You don't have to whip them separately. You are not whipping the egg whites to form peaks or anything.

Crossing fingers and waiting.........
_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!

A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Edifying Conscience · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 2262

There was some NGF grandma drama late yesterday afternoon/evening/night and I had to quickly leave. When I signed on this morning I realized I never clicked 'submit' on the cookie report, sorry.

Anyway, yes, the cookies worked and they were in fact very good. I baked two sheetpans in the oven at the same time with the racks too close together. When done the cookies on each sheetpan were slightly different. Those on the bottom were cracked as the directions stated. Those on the top were as smooth as fresh snow and puffed up a bit. The texture was crunchy, very crunchy on the outside and creamy, almost fudgey on the inside. I liked them very much.

Despite the 4 egg whites they really didn't make all that many cookies...maybe 2 dozen or so. I tooks some to GF grandma and and she also found the directions to be odd. Next time I'm going to mix the egg whites for 1 minute before adding the vanilla and dry ingredients to see what happens.

This recipe couldn't be easier to make and only take a few ingredients most of which are pantry items. Thanks for posting, Colleen!