These flourless chocolate cookies take your taste buds to a whole new level. Only five ingredients stand in your way of making the gooiest, chewy no flour chocolate cookies as a naturally gluten free cookie option everyone finds hard to ignore. If you want to witness how fast a batch of cookies can disappear, than this is the recipe for you!
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Winning Chocolate Flourless Cookies – Ooey Gooey Yumminess!
Chewy, fudgy flourless chocolate cookies recipe is a great introduction to GF baking and an essential recipe in my gluten-free cookie collection. Just like homemade chocolate no bake cookies, it’s great to not have to mess around with (expensive!) GF flour blends, and use what is right in your kitchen.
These no flour cookies only require five simple ingredients – egg whites, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and chocolate chips, but, dang, do they create some goodness. They have a crackly, crunchy exterior with a whole lot of gooey, fudgy chocolate goodness inside, just like highly-reviewed viral gluten-free brownie cookies.
Even if gluten free baking is of no concern to you, these homemade cookies do not disappoint. Many readers turn to the this recipe when they are looking for flourless cookies for holidays or to make for a friend that is gluten-free. Then they end up being surprised by how no one can resist them.
Their unique texture and structure comes from the egg whites, which essentially makes this a chocolate meringue cookie. Since they taste like light, puffs of rich chocolately heaven, be forewarned they are eaten quickly! Let’s make them and see what all the fuss is about!
Then, do me a solid? After you relish this GF win, head over to this homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies recipe to learn the easy tricks for baking with flour as well. You won’t be disappointed. 🙌
Everyone needs to have this flourless cookie recipe. Super easy to make and they taste very high end. YUM!!
—Karen
Great easy recipe! Everyone I make these for rave about these cookies!
—Olga
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Whisky whisk time
In a large bowl whisk cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. You’ll want to make sure your bowl is large enough to work in the egg whites without the powdered sugar spilling out.
Egg whites and oomph
Stir in the egg whites and vanilla extract. The batter will get very thick and require some oomph to stir. TIP: Using a silicone spoon helps immensely with being able to stir, scrape, and fold until all the ingredients are moistened.
If it seems impossible to stir, add a couple dashes of water. The size of your egg whites plays a factor in the consistency of the batter.
Once all the dry ingredients are mixed, stir in the chocolate chips or any additional add-ins. (See below for some yummy ideas.)
Scoop, wait, and bake
Scoop batter onto the prepared baking sheet. TIP: Using a small cookie scoop quickly makes evenly sized cookies. If you are a baker, this tiny little cookie scoop will change your life.
Now is when we do something a little different in this flourless cookies recipe. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes at room temp. This will result in a better shaped cookie. (See the mage below) But, truth be told, these things will be eaten either way.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are glossy and slightly cracked. Cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring. Try not to eat every single one of them…You’ve been warned.
Why The Rest Before Baking?
Although it’s not necessary to rest the cookies before baking, I find that it does improve the cookies structure and shape. If baking right away the cookies will spread more and be thinner. Resting at room temperature for 30 minutes yields a rounder shape, with set glossy tops.
Super Yummy Mix-Ins
- Nuts – chopped walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or peanuts. You can sprinkle a few on top before baking too.
- Peanut butter baking chips (read label for gluten-free)
- Crushed peppermint candies
- Substitute chopped dark chocolate chunks or white chocolate chips
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before baking
- Drizzle melted white chocolate over cooled cookies
- Substitute orange extract and add in orange zest
- Stir in 1 teaspoon espresso powder
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Chewy, Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- ⅔ cup (68 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder, (or substitute natural unsweetened baking cocoa)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 large egg whites, unbeaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (255 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and SPRAY with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together powder sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir in egg whites and vanilla extract until the batter is completely moistened. It will be very, very thick. Stir in the chocolate chips.3 cups powdered sugar, ⅔ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, ½ tsp. salt, 3 large egg whites, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Spoon the batter on the sprayed parchment lined sheets, about 1 tablespoon per scoop (Using a small cookie scoop makes this very easy!) You will end up with about 12 mounds per sheet. Let the cookie sheets rest for 30 minutes before baking*, meanwhile preheating oven to 350ºF.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until tops are glossy and lightly cracked. The edges will be set and the middle slightly undercooked.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before gently transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Best Tips and Troubleshooting
- Substituting a sugar alternative for the powdered sugar is not recommended.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and don’t forget to spray with cooking spray. I often see readers post their cookie “failures” on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Foil is a no no!
- The egg whites should be unbeatened when adding them in.
- Don’t let the batter sit too long before scooping onto the baking sheet. Once the egg whites, powdered sugar, and baking cocoa are mixed, scoop the batter onto the baking sheet.
- Many readers have asked about adding the whole egg. While some have had success with this, I have not. It added too much liquid and the cookies were extremely flat and chewy.
- If the batter is too thick to incorporate the dry ingredients, you can add a couple drops of water just till it comes together. Avoid adding too much extra liquid, though, or the cookies will spread and become thin.
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I made these and they are flat. Next time I make I will cool them before I scoop them. Also I just now read the comments and I think I shall try them with 1/2 walnuts (or pecans) and a little rum extract (just because for some reason I have a lot.) I will let you know what happens. Thank you!
Now I’m curious why you have much rum extract…😏
My family love this!!!♡♡ we had some friends over who are gluten-free and totally loved them!! amazing cookies. One question though are these vegan? I have a family member who is coming over… and they are Vegan.
No they are not vegan where there are eggs in it. I have read about flax ‘eggs’…. maybe you could sub that for the eggs? Here is a link – How to make flax eggs: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/flax-vegan-egg-substitute-104832
You will also need to check ingredients of the chocolate chips as well since many brands add dairy products to their ingredients. There are chips that are vegan.
How long can the dough be kept? I made some but can’t quite finish baking them all. Thank you!
I have made them before, and they were PERFECT for Passover. Thank you!!
Hi Alaina, I think they would hold for a couple hours at room temperature if you needed to bake them later. You can also try freezing the uncooked batter scooped out onto the cookie sheets if you needed to hold them longer. Once the cookies are frozen, cover the sheet with plastic wrap. Then when you are ready to bake, set them out on the counter with the plastic wrap taken off, and let come to room temperature before baking. Glad you enjoy them!
The flourless chocolate chip cookie recipe was so helpful! I love how you should us step by step photos. That help me a lot when I made these cookies for my wife’s book club. The book club rated them 5/5.
That’s wonderful to hear. The step by step photos will be making more of an appearance on the site because I know it’s helpful. I’m so glad your wife’s book club enjoyed them and what a great husband you are to make them!
These cookies look SOOOOOOOO good!!!
Thank you! My kids get so excited every time I make these. 🤗
Love the recipe. Since I always use a scale when baking I love it when the metric measurements are listed in a recipe, but I think the metric conversion for the cocoa is wrong. 2/3 cups of cocoa is 85 grams, not 57.33 grams as listed.
Thank you so much for writing because I know a lot of bakers would appreciate this. My recipe template automatically calculates the metric measurements. When I did a search of 2/3 cup cocoa powder in metric, I came up with 65 grams. Did you try it with the 85 grams cocoa? I’m curious how that turned out for you?
Awesome cookie recipe! Made these many times and are real crows pleasers!
That’s great! These cookies always go fast at my house too!
Sorry these were such a disappointment for you. 😞 Too bad my hubby wasn’t around because he gladly takes care of any dessert I ever make that I deem “uneatable.” 😉
I give these cookies 5 stars! I’ve made them a handful of times for group gatherings and they are always a crowd pleaser. Thanks for sharing such an easy, fun and delicious recipe!
Keep ‘me coming ; )
Hi Lorena, Thanks for letting me know how much you love this recipe. That is always appreciated! You are a better woman than me because I always have a hard time sharing these cookies.🤫
My husband and I made these for the guys at his work. He works at a lumber yard. The guys DESTROYED them. One of the guys (who happens to eat GF) ate 10! Yes, TEN!!!!! Thank you for these awesome cookies.
I am GF and Dairy free, so it was nice to be able to actually eat something that we made for his work – typically I can’t even try the goodies I’m sending in.
I did have to have my husband stir the batter because it got too thick for me. But, it was worth it! We also discovered we were out of Vanilla, so we used Rum extract… lol. There were no complaints.
Thanks again!
This is all just phenomenal and hysterical. I feel like when I eat these cookies I could probably put down 5 without coming up for air, but 10 is impressive! Kudos to him AND you for being the BEST WIFE EVER.
OMG!! These are to die for!! Followed the recipe, but divided the chocolate chips in half and added about 1 cup of walnuts (pieces). Best cookies ever! Crunchy and chewy at the same time. Thanks for sharing the recipe, these will be my go to cookies from now on 😋👍🏼
Fantastic! Thanks for making my day 😘👊 I’m sneaking in walnuts next time I make them and the kids are just going to have to deal.
Wow! Easy to make and oh so rich.Husband said these aren’t cookies they are fudge. I think if I make them again I will try half and half walnuts and chips. Thanks for the suggestion.
You we’re right about the batter being thick. I almost couldn’t stir it! I recommend a stand mixer or strong husband. They are yummy but wow they are SWEET!! Which is fine, but next time I may stir in some nuts or sprinkle with sea salt. Thank you!!
Hi Bonnie, Good tips! Make those husbands useful. 😉 Nuts and sea salt sound like great ideas to cut the sweetness.
I used special dark chocolate chips so not so sweet !Delicious recipe !couldnt believe how gigantic they got when baked wow thanks for a great revope
Glad you liked them Carolyn! Great tip using the dark chocolate and I think nuts would do the trick too.
Best,
Melissa
Thank you for sharing! How many days I can keep the cookies fresh?
I would say a couple (in an airtight container), but if you need them longer, freeze them. You can pull them out as you need them and they would only take a short time to thaw. Hope that helps!
Hey girl these look delicious, can’t wait to make them! One question..I don’t have parchment paper…would it totally throw off the recipe to just spray my metal baking pan with Pam? Would they turn out alright you think? Thanks so much!
Hello! I think that would be fine, but let them cool all the way on the cookie sheet before taking them off. These cookies can be a little fragile so having the parchment paper just helps them release easier. Hope you enjoy them, Penelope!
I haven’t made these cookies yet, but they look delicious!
I was reading the comments and thought maybe people had different results because of humidity. Sugar absorbs moisture in the air and may cause a more liquid batter and too much spreading. It prevents the egg white from “lifting” meringue type cookies so you may need to increase baking time. Avoid making on a rainy or humid day to avoid a flat chewy cookie instead of light and airy.
Thanks for chiming in, Carol. That is definitely helpful information,and I didn’t know that about sugar absorbing humidity. Here in Indiana, during the winter, I don’t really have to worry about that!
They are so delicious!!!! My. Husband said they are the best chocolate cookies ever!!
I really like your husband. 🤗
Is there a non chocolate version for people who are allergic to chocolate?
I haven’t tried it, but there is white chocolate powder that could be substituted for cocoa powder and then use white chocolate chips. You’d have to read the labels, but it’s my understanding that white chocolate is not really chocolate, so this might be a suitable substitution?
HEllo there,
I will try this recipe but I was wondering if you tried to add chocolate chips in liquid form?
You mean like melt the chocolate chips first? I haven’t done that, but many readers have left them out, added nuts, and different flavored extracts. Hope that helps!
Super delicious and chewy! They were all eaten in about a day.
They certainly go fast when I make them too! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 😀
Hello! Tried these today and I think I am doing something wrong. Mine turned out more like the chocolate crinkle cookies rather than the glossy delicious looking cookies in your post. Do you whip the egg whites before adding them in or just use them as is?
No, you just throw the egg whites in there. No need to whip. If you did whip them, the cookies would definitely have more volume. Sorry they didn’t turn out as expected 🙁
The 1st time I tried your recipe and did everything your recipe suggested the bottoms of my cookies were burnt. I cooked that batch for 10 minutes. I thru out that batch of cookies and made a 2nd batch and only baked them for 8 miniutes and the botooms of these cookies looked Black and crusty.. What am I doing wrong?
Do you happen to have an oven thermometer? It sounds like maybe your oven might be off calibration. They are less than $5 and you can throw one in and see if the temp is matching what you are setting it for. Then raise or lower what you preheat your oven to accordingly.
If your temp seems to be fine, maybe try cooking them on a higher positioned rack. How frustrating, though! That’s the worst to have to throw out something that doesn’t turn out. I’ve definitely been there!
Thank you for the suggestions. . We made 9 types of cookies and this recipe was the only recipe that we had this issue with. I will try raising the rack uo to the next level as we usually cook with the rack in the middle position in the oven.
These were wonderful! I used mini chocolate chips and they were perfect.
Great! Thanks for dropping me a line. I always love to hear feedback!
OMG this is the best chocolate cookie I have ever had! Warm out of the oven it was a chocolate lava cookie. My batter was a little thin. I chilled in the bowl for about 10 minuets so I could scoop easier and did leave out for 30 minuets. Great recipe and so easy.
Hi Dee, That is fantastic to hear! Thanks for the tip about chilling the dough. Sometimes the consistency of the dough can vary, based on the size of your egg whites.
I made them just as your recipe states and they are FANTASTIC! Oh my goodness! I made them for my sister in law and husband, because they eat Gluten Free, and I’m not sure they’ll make it to them. I might eat every cookie! Thanks for a great recipe with ingredients the gluten eater can bake without buying expensive ingredients. Thank you!
Hi Andrea, I wholeheartedly agree with you. When I make these I have a hard time not eating one after another. And yes, gluten free flour is extremely expensive. That’s why I have so many flourless recipes on the blog! Plus, you never know how different brand gluten free flours are going to work out. They are all definitely not created equal 🙁
I made these yesterday (with Hershey’s cocoa powder) & they are amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so many compliments on a cookie. I will definitely make these again (and possibly blog about it?)
Hi Gina, I always appreciate hearing stuff like this! Thank you for taking the time to write. Of course you can blog about it! Please just link back to this page. Thank you!
Best, Melissa
Thank you, thank you thank you! Usually at Christmas time I tend to go overboard with the cookie baking – its just something I love to do – however, this year my son started dating a lovely young woman who happens to be gluten intolerant. The only treat she would have been able to eat out of my normal goodies are macaroons. Never having had to think about that before I was thrown for a loop. Then I found this recipe….they are so easy to make, smell like Heaven (and for quality control one disappeared somehow :P) they taste fantastic! I was in a bit of a rush, this year I’m way behind schedule somehow, so at first I forgot to add the chips, scraped them off the parchment paper and tried again – this time forgetting to spray the parchment before scooping. Thankfully there wasn’t an issue at all with taking them off the sheets! Now I have a recipe that we all can enjoy from time to time!
Hello Jane! Thank you so much for writing. That is unbelievably sweet of you to make something GF for your son’s girlfriend. I know exactly how she feels! The first Christmas after going gluten free it was so disheartening to see all the food I couldn’t eat. In fact, I just wrote a post about this that fits exactly your scenario! Here it is if you want to give it a read…https://www.mamagourmand.com/best-homemade-stuffed-churros/ Also if you look under the “cookies” category under recipes, you’ll find some more options of what you can make. Don’t forget about peanut brittle (https://www.mamagourmand.com/no-fail-peanut-brittle/), English toffee, fudge, and lots of other candies are gluten free too!
Thanks for all the great ideas! It looks like she’ll be part of the family from now on so I’m going to need a few more things to make for her so she doesn’t get sick of the same thing all the time lol
I tried your cookies. I followed the recipe exactly. They just spread out into one big cookie and did not cook in the middle at all. Very disappointed, as I made these at my friends for our Christmas baking dinner. Had to throw them out.
These cookies are so delicious and easy to make. By far, one of the best cookies Ive ever eaten!
Thanks Julie! I’m so happy you enjoyed them so much 🙂
These look delicious and gooey! I’m curious to give them a try!
Thank you! Please do 🙂
Followed the recipe as written, are you sure there’s no step missing? Such as whipping egg whites and powdered sugar together to make a meringue and then fold it into the batter? Or melt chocolate chips? Tried this recipe and didn’t form any batter just a watery mess, thanks!
Hello, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. I feel for you because I hate when I was time / ingredients and something doesn’t turn out. You do leave the egg whites as is, and not whip them. I find the batter to be extremely thick, almost hard to stir, so I’m not sure why yours was so watery. The only thing I can think of was perhaps a mistake with the amount of powdered sugar?
Mine to 😰