These classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and perfect for the holidays!
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What's the Story on this Recipe?
I always knew my mother’s Chocolate Crinkle Cookies were better than anyone else’s. For a long time though, I didn’t know why. I guess I just supposed everyone thinks their mom's cookies are the best. It wasn't until I started doing recipe development that I learned what set Mom's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe apart: they are flourless. Totally.
Not only are these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies flourless, but they are also 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 65 calories per cookie! Can you believe it‽
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles Schult
From what I can tell, this recipe has its roots in another one of Mom's recipes: Swiss Chews. Swiss Chew's are totally gluten free, employing ground walnuts for structure and mass instead of flour. This Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe seems to be an adaptation of that earlier recipe.
I'll be sharing her original Swiss Chews recipe soon!
Santa's Favorite Treat‽
With a bite like a soft, fudgy brownie dusted with a fresh coating of powered sugar, Classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are tried and true: you're almost sure to find a batch at any school bake sale or holiday cookie exchange.
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!)
What Goes into Flourless Crinkle Cookies
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar. If you use dark brown sugar, the texture of the final cookie can change.
★ Instant coffee: The flavor of coffee intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. It is, however, totally optional to the recipe.
★ Chocolate chips: For the best results, use semisweet chocolate chips.
How to Make this Recipe
Preheat oven to 340°F | 170°C. 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 the chocolate chips 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.
Using a spatula, gently fold the walnuts and beaten egg yolks into the egg-white mixture.
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!
Form 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 ½ - ¾ 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 cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
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Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Parchment Paper or Silpat mat
- 1 cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 3 large eggs separated
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ - ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340°F | 170°C. 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 ½ - ¾ 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 cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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Tricia | The Healthy(ish) Home says
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!
Aarika says
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?
Renée ♥ says
I really don't know, but if you try making them with raw cacao, I'd love to know how they turn out.
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life says
These look so good, Renee! Flourless chocolate crinkle cookies are the best!!
Renée ♥ says
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.