Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Pinch salt

2 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place racks in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, salt and walnuts in the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment if available). Beat on low speed 1 minute.

With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture has thickened slightly and looks lumpy. Do not overmix.

Use a 2-ounce cookie scoop or a generous tablespoon to scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Scoop 5 cookies onto each sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart so they don’t stick when they spread. If you have extra batter, wait until the first batch of cookies is baked before scooping the next batch.

Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 320 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom about halfway through. Small, thin cracks will appear on the surface of the cookies. Pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire cooling rack, and cool completely before removing from the paper. Makes 10 to 12 cookies.

Source: Adapted by the Washington Post from “One Sweet Cookie: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes” by Tracey Zabar (Rizzoli, 2011).

Per cookie: 320 calories, 6 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 18 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 30 g sugar.