These Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies are decadently fudgy, naturally gluten free, and only require a few ingredients to make. Made with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and an egg white, the cookies are all the best parts of a brownie - chewy and fudgy with a crispy crinkle top!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Total Time22 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate, Cookies, Flourless, Gluten Free, Small Batch
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust oven rack to the middle position. Line your baking sheet with piece of parchment paper lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Note - You can also use a silicone mat, but I have the best luck getting the cookies to release from greased parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Tip - If your powdered sugar has a lot of lumps in it, use a fine mesh strainer to sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into the mixing bowl, then whisk in the salt.
3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process, 1/8 teaspoon salt
In another small mixing bowl, add the egg white, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. Using a hand held mixer, beat the egg white on medium speed until soft peaks form. Tip - Soft peaks will look fluffy, white, and glossy, and when the beater is taken out of the egg white it will stand up straight, then slightly flop over.
1 large egg white, room temperature, pinch cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle about 1/3 of the dry ingredients over the egg whites. Fold until mostly incorporated. Repeat 2 more times, and with the last addition of the dry ingredients, fold the batter until no dry streaks remain. Note - I add the dry ingredients in increments to make mixing the batter easier, and avoid a chocolate cloud mess.
The batter should be thick (like glue) and (incredibly) sticky, like a brownie batter. Depending on how large your egg white was, you may have a looser (more liquid) batter. If so, add another tablespoon of cocoa powder and fold into the batter.
Stir the chocolate chips into the batter. Note - You can add more chocolate chips if you prefer, but I recommend not exceeding 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
4 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop 6 to 7 equal cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. The batter will look loose and spread once it is scooped onto the baking sheet. This is ok, and why I recommend a small cookie scoop. Note - The number of cookies you get from the batter will depend on how large your egg white is. I don't recommend making the cookies too large (like double scooping the batter for 1 cookie) - they will spread too thin and large.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. You will know the cookies are done when the tops are crinkly, the edges feel set to the touch, and you can smell the chocolate. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet briefly (about 1 to 2 minutes). Use a sturdy spatula and gently (and carefully) lift the cookies off the parchment paper and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Tip - The parchment paper will want to slide around as you remove the cookies. Wear an oven mitt to hold the parchment in place while you remove the cookies. Do not let the cookies sit too long on the baking sheet, or they will stick to the parchment.
Notes
Serving Size - Depending on how large your egg white is, the batter may yield 6 to 7 cookies.
Batter Consistency - The batter should be gluey thick and sticky like a brownie batter. If the batter is too loose, add cocoa powder in tablespoon increments until the recommended consistency is reached.
Cookie Spread - The consistency of this batter will cause the cookies to spread as soon as you spoon them onto the baking sheet. This is ok. And why I recommend scooping smaller cookies.
Spray The Parchment Paper - These cookies naturally want to stick to anything they are baked on. I recommend lightly spraying a piece of parchment paper to achieve the best results in getting the cookies to release after they are baked.
Releasing The Cookies From The Parchment - The cookies are going to be soft and want to stick to the parchment paper. Use a sturdy spatula to gently remove the cookies from the baking sheet. The parchment paper will want to slide around - wear an oven mitt to keep the paper in place while you release the cookies.
Storage - Cover and store the cookies for up to 3 days. Beyond that, and they may start to dry out.