Monday Menu: Flourless Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies

I really, really wanted chocolate chip cookies, but two things stood in my way. One, I was low on my favorite dark chocolate chips and two, right now they are $13 a bag.  Crazy. They’ve jumped from $7 a year ago to $13 today.

So what to do? How about some fun gluten-free/flourless chocolate cookies? I love these because they are like the best brownie bites instead of cookies.  And super easy to make.

Luckily, back in the fall, I stocked up on Dutch cocoa powder for another recipe. And I had plenty of walnuts and had just grabbed a couple dozen eggs.  Craving solved!

You need to let them cool completely otherwise they stick to the parchment. If they are still warm when you remove them,  it  will leave crumbs and isn’t as structurally sound as the completely cooled ones end up being. You’ll need parchment paper for this recipe or a silpat.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies

• 2 cups walnut halves or pieces (you can substitute chopped almonds or pecans, but nuts are needed in this recipe to help hold the cookie together)
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp unsweetened Dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Bowl, baking sheet, parchment, wire cooking rack

Toast walnuts for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, cool and rough chop. Reduce oven temperature to 320 degrees.

While walnuts are cooling, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and salt until well mixed. Add walnuts and mix well. Add vanilla and then egg whites one at a time. Whisk to combine, but do not over mix.

You want the batter to be about brownie mixture consistency. A bit moister than regular cookie dough, but not too moist, like cake batter (is that helpful?). Three egg whites might be perfect, or may need to add one more.

Drop mixture by the spoonful on parchment paper and bake at 320 degrees for 14 minutes. Move PARCHMENT paper AND cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Do not remove until cooled completely. Makes 2 doz.

Enjoy!