These easy flourless chocolate cookies are fudgy, chewy, chocolaty, and crunchy. They are gluten free and dairy free, and you can make them with just 6 simple ingredients!
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The shiny, crackled surface of these flourless chocolate cookies makes you look like a pro baker. How does that happen? I have no idea. I tried to look it up. Something to do with the egg whites I guess. Let's not question it. Let's just enjoy it!
This is a classic cookie recipe that is inherently gluten free and dairy free. French people have been making these cookies for eons. I chose to add chocolate chips and hazelnuts to amp up the chocolate flavor and provide crunch. (And of course chocolate + hazelnuts = bliss.)
So make these flourless chocolate cookies because they're beautiful, because they're easy to make, because they taste great, because they're sexy (Yes, chocolate and hazelnuts together are sexy. Everyone knows that.) Just make them!
Jump to:
5 reasons to make these flourless chocolate cookies right now!
- They're fudgy and chewy, with a meringue-like texture and a shiny, crackled top.
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free.
- Just 6 ingredients!
- They are so easy to make! Just combine dry ingredients in a bowl, add egg whites and stir. Done. No whisking egg whites. No special equipment needed. Yay!
- You can truly make this cookie recipe your own with your choice of add-ins: change up the hazelnuts for walnuts, swap the chocolate chips for dried cherries, etc.
You only need 6 ingredients!
- Powdered sugar: This is the only type of sugar and there is quite a lot of it. It's doing double duty, acting as the sweetener and giving the chocolate cookies structure since they are flourless.
- Cocoa powder: Another ingredient doing double duty. Adding chocolate flavor and giving structure. You can use regular or Dutch process here since there is no baking powder or baking soda in the recipe.
- Hazelnuts: I recommend raw hazelnuts that you roast yourself (I'll show you how) for better, fresher flavor.
- Chocolate chips: Bittersweet chocolate chips are my favorite here, to balance the sweetness of the powdered sugar.
- Egg whites: The egg whites will hold the batter together, no need for whisking, just mix them in gently.
- Kosher salt: Just a pinch of salt brings all the flavors together.
How to make flourless chocolate cookies
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food. This makes a small batch of flourless chocolate cookies - just one dozen.
Step by step instructions:
Step 1: Roast the hazelnuts, remove their skins and chop
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a dry sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't get too brown.
How to remove skins from hazelnuts:
Remove nuts from oven and transfer to a large bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Cover the nuts with the towel and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. This lets the skins steam a little so they come off more easily than if you just tried to remove them right out of the oven.
Gather up the towel and rub the nuts vigorously to remove skins. Do this over the bowl so if any nuts escape they don't go rolling all over your kitchen! Not all the skins will come off, and that's okay.
Chop nuts coarsely and set aside.
Step 2: Mix the flourless dry ingredients
Measure powdered sugar and sift into a large mixing bowl. Measure cocoa powder and sift into the same bowl.
Add salt to the bowl with cocoa and powdered sugar and whisk together.
Step 3: Add the chocolate and hazelnuts
Add chocolate chips and hazelnuts and incorporate into mixture.
Step 4: Add the egg whites
Add egg whites and carefully fold in until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix, or cookies will be too flat and sticky.
Step 5: Drop the cookies onto a baking sheet and bake!
Measure ¼ cupfuls of dough (see tip below) and drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Give them space. 3-4 inches between each. Maybe 6 on a large cookie sheet, no more.
Bake flourless chocolate cookies for 25 minutes, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Tips for the best flourless chocolate cookies
- Once you add the egg whites, mix the cookie dough gently and only until just combined. It will be sticky, and it may seem like it's not going to come together, but keep stirring gently and you'll get there.
- You must bake these flourless chocolate cookies on parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. They are like a meringue in texture, so they will absolutely stick to the baking sheet if you don't.
- Be sure to use a ¼ cup measuring cup for each cookie. The baking time correlates to this measurement. We're baking them lower and slower, as you would a meringue.
- Give these cookies space! Leave 3 - 4 inches between each one when baking.
- You can use regular cocoa powder or Dutch process. Because there is no rising agent in this recipe, either will work for great chocolate flavor. If you use Dutch process, the cookies will be a darker color.
FAQ
Yes. Sifting ensures the cookies stay light and fluffy, and lets you get rid of all of those little balls of sugar and cocoa that cake together.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Layer them with parchment or wax paper. Don't store stacked directly on top of each other or they will stick together.
More flourless chocolate cookie recipes
You can make all kinds of cookies without traditional AP flour. Try these chocolate-filled favorites!
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies use almond flour and are absolutely loaded with chocolate chips!
- Basler Brunsli are a chocolate spice cookie made in Switzerland at Christmas time.
- Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies are crisp and delicious, with a shortbread-like texture.
Recipe
Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¾ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 ½ cups roasted hazelnuts chopped
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 4 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a dry sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't get too brown.
- Remove nuts from oven and transfer to a large bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Cover the nuts with the towel and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
- Gather up the towel and rub the nuts vigorously to remove skins. Do this over the bowl so if any nuts escape they don't go rolling all over your kitchen! Not all the skins will come off.
- Chop nuts coarsely and set aside.
- Keep the oven on at 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure powdered sugar and sift into a large mixing bowl. Measure cocoa powder and sift into the same bowl.
- Add salt to the bowl with cocoa and powdered sugar and whisk together. Add chocolate chips and hazelnuts and incorporate into mixture.
- Add egg whites and carefully fold in until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix, or cookies will be too flat and sticky.
- Measure ¼ cupfuls of batter and drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Give them space. 3-4 inches between each. Maybe 6 on a large cookie sheet, no more.
- Bake for 25 minutes, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through.
- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Once you add the egg whites, mix the cookie dough gently and only until just combined. It will be sticky, and it may seem like it's not going to come together, but keep stirring gently and you'll get there.
- You must bake these flourless chocolate cookies on parchment paper or a silpat. They are like a meringue in texture, so they will absolutely stick to the baking sheet if you don't.
- Be sure to use a ¼ cup measuring cup for each cookie. The baking time correlates to this measurement. We're baking them lower and slower, as you would a meringue.
- Give these cookies space! Leave 3 - 4 inches between each one.
- You can use regular cocoa powder or Dutch process. Because there is no rising agent in this recipe, either will work for great chocolate flavor. If you use Dutch process, the cookies will be a darker color.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Layer them with parchment or wax paper. Don't store stacked directly on top of each other or they will stick together.
Roz Fraraccio
Do I need to whip the egg whites before adding?
Debra
Hi Roz,
No need to whip the egg whites, just add them to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine. Don't overmix them.
Let me know how they turn out for you!
Thanks for reading,
Debra
Roz Fraraccio
Thanks.
Roz Fraraccio
Delicious!
Debra
Yay! So glad you liked them Roz!
Audrey
Good morning! Your blog and recipe do not jive! Blog talks about 325 for both roasting nuts and for baking cookies; recipe changes baking temp to 375? Also, salt listed in method but no amount listed in recipe? Baked at higher temp and took out early; which way should the recipe go? Many thanks!
Debra
HI Audrey!
Cookies should be baked at 325 degrees and it is 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. I am so sorry for the confusion and my typos, and I've fixed them on the recipe card. (These typos happened when I added my new recipe cards and I didn't copy and transfer correctly.)
I appreciate you calling these to my attention and I hope you enjoyed the cookies and that you'll try more of my recipes.
Thanks for reading!
Debra
Debbie Kiest
These are a variation of an italian classic, a nutty chocolate meringue. I make mine with finely ground toasted hazelnuts, which amplifies the hazelnut flavor, but that doesn't give you that nice crunch of the big pieces. You could do half and half for the best of both worlds. Italian cookies often don't have butter or shortening, as in their classic cantuccini, which we know as biscotti, which just have eggs as binder. But are they delicious! Great recipe. And the lower fat really lets the chocolate flavor zing. Lower fat, not low fat. Yum.
Debra
Hi Debbie! Doing half and half with ground hazelnuts is a great idea. I'd actually like to work on a kind of layer cake with a meringue like you're describing. Stay tuned for that!! Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for reading!