Classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (or Swiss Chews as Mom always called them) are crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and perfect for the holidays!
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.
~ Charles Schultz
Crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are amazingly simple to make, and taste absolutely decadent: (I also have it on good authority that they are one of Santa’s favorite treats!)
This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.
Back when I was small, every year around the first of December my mom would get together with her friend Betty and bake. Betty would always come up with a few new cookie ideas for them to try, but no matter what else they baked, the holy trinity of Christmas cookies at our house was Joe Froggers (a spicy, rum-infused molasses cookie), Chocolate Thumbprints, and Swiss Chews, more commonly known as Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
I always knew my mother’s chocolate crinkle cookies were better than anyone else’s, but for a long time, I didn’t know why. I guess I just supposed everyone thinks their mother’s cookies are the best.
It wasn’t until I started comparing chocolate crinkle cookies recipes that I figured out what made Mom’s cookies so unique. Unlike most recipes, Mom’s cookie recipe didn’t require any flour. It uses ground walnuts for structure instead – making these little sweethearts completely gluten-free. (You’re welcome, my gluten-free friends.)
Chocolate Crinkle Cookie dough balls, rolled and ready for the oven
Swiss Chews {Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder optional
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 3 eggs separated
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar for rolling prepared dough in
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.
Cookie Dough Prep
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse walnuts until they resemble cracked wheat. [Be careful - if you let them go too long, you'll have walnut butter!] Measure walnuts after chopping. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave for 40 seconds at a time, stirring after each cycle, until chocolate is completely melted. Allow to cool slightly.
- Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. To the beaten egg whites, gradually add brown sugar mixture and then vanilla, beating until thick. Gently fold in walnuts and beaten egg yolks.
- Fold the melted chocolate chocolate into the whipped egg-white mixture.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight. [DO NOT attempt to make cookies until the dough is cold!]
Forming Cookies
- Form 1" balls of dough using a small cookie scoop or spoon. (About 2 teaspoons per cookie.) A small cookie scoop works perfect for this.
- Pour 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Rolls cookie dough balls in powdered sugar. Place cookie balls on prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. (You do not need to press the cookie balls down.)
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. (If you make your cookies larger, you may need to bake them for an addition 2-3 minutes.) Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Swiss Chews are free of added fats. No oil. No butter. (Trust me on this: they don’t need it.) Which brings me to this little extra holiday bonus: these deliciously fudgy bites of heaven have only about 58 calories per cookie! Can you believe it‽ Now you have no excuse: go make a batch or three today!
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P.S. I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup. Check it out for more great Christmas recipes!
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And you are making these for the beach trip right???
Oh I am very excited to try these. They look amazing!
You will *love* them, Em!
These look yummy and I am going to try them very soon. I just have to hit the store first. This is a wonderful blog. <3
Renee – you could tag these as gluten free and allergy-friendly (minus the nuts). 🙂
They are already tagged Gluten Free. Thanks!
Hi Renee! I just wanted to stop by and tell you I received your goodies today. I absolutely love these cookies so that it was perfect to leave a comment on this post. So, for those fellow readers, make them, you will love them. So moist and very very chocolatey and good =) Thank you so much for the goodies and Happy Holidays =)
Can’t believe these are made without flour. Looks delicious, perfect for Christmas!
Wow. These might be the first ground walnut cookies I’ve come across. I’m intrigued to try them out.
Saw these on social media so I needed to jump over for the recipe! These look great!
So glad you found us! These cookies are so delicious, Cindy. You should try them!
These look so good! I can’t wait to try them out!
These look delightful! I think I’ve found anew holiday cookie recipe!
Aren’t these fun?! I must say I love it that the espresso powder is optional, but I don’t think I’d want to skip it in this recipe 😉 Thanks for sharing…delish!!!
Yum!! I’ve never made cookies quite like these but now I want to try them!! 🙂
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
These sound SO good! I recently found out I have Celiac disease, and I was devastated at the thought that my baking would be affected, but there’s so many ways to make gluten free treats these days, I have nothing to worry about. Definitely putting these on the “to try” list!
These look amazing! Definitely adding this recipe to my Christmas Cookie making list!
these look very tasty, i’ll have to try them
These look so good, Renee! Flourless chocolate crinkle cookies are the best!!
You know, Marlynn, they really are. Today I had a regular, flour-based one at an event, and there is just no comparison. The walnuts give these cookies a richness and depth of flavor that the others completely lack.
These cookies look delicious! I’ve never heard of “crinkle” cookies before. I must try them! Do you think this recipe would work with raw cacao rather than cocoa? The two are different, and I usually have raw cacao in the house. I think it would work! Ideas?
I really don’t know, but if you try making them with raw cacao, I’d love to know how they turn out.
These look amazing! Perfect for the cookie exchange I am going to next week 😍 Chewy cookies are my favorite and it’s a bonus that they are flour free!