Flourless Fudge Cookies

This recipe is definitely a keeper! Intensely chocolate, fudgy and chewy, with crunchy exterior that stay like that until the next day. That crunchy-cracky surface is the tricky part. I couldn't bring it off at the first try.

The first batch. Not... interesting. At all.

After doing some research (and by 'research' I mean googling) I found out that the crispy top crust that usually appears also on brownies is actually some kind of meringue that get there when the batter that contains eggs is over beaten (more on that here). That fact comes through me as quite a shock. So that's why I never get that crust when making brownies! I always cling on the 'never over beat your batter or the cake would come out hard' principle. So, okay, I thought, I would bend my principle this one time and see what's gonna happen. It turned out alright! Even more than alright, they were perfect.

Yeah, that's better.

Flourless Fudge Cookies

Source: King Arthur Flour Recipe

Yields: about 25 cookies (about 5 cm in diameter)

Ingredients:

255 grams confectioners' sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp espresso powder

85 grams cocoa powder

106 grams egg whites

50 grams chocolate chips (use chocolate that has at least 50% cocoa butter content)

50 grams nuts (I used almond slivers)

Methods:

Sift together confectioners' sugar, salt, espresso, and cocoa in a large bowl. 

Add egg whites. Firstly, try using a spoon or spatula to get them all come together. The mixture would be sticky and a bit tough. Then use a hand mixer with whisk attachment to beat it at high speed, for ten minutes. 

Add chocolate chips and nuts, stir until combined.

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, grease generously.

Drop the batter by spoonfuls using a tablespoon, or an ice cream scoop, or a piping bag.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, until the surfaces crack.

Additional note: I just found out that there is a very detailed and comprehensive blog post about this recipe here. Oh, too late!