These flourless chocolate cookies are amazing! Rich, chewy, fudge-like, and loaded with pecans. This easy to make small batch recipe yields 5-6 irresistible gluten free chocolate pecan cookies. Made with cocoa powder, powdered sugar & chopped pecans. No flour, no butter, no oil needed and they bake in just 10 minutes!
These flourless chocolate cookies are simply amazing! They're ooey and gooey and incredibly fudgy. This is a small batch cookie recipe and will yield 5 or 6 cookies.
Don't expect the texture to be similar to your typical chocolate chip cookie. Flourless cookies are incredibly light. They're airy and crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside.
Why This Recipe Works
- These flourless chocolate cookies are gluten free and incredibly delicious.
- They're made with ingredients you may likely have in your pantry already.
- If you're a fan of brownies, you'll absolutely love these cookies.
- This flourless chocolate cookie recipe is a small batch recipe. It will yield 5 or 6 cookies.
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
What You'll Need
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Powdered sugar: This flourless chocolate cookie recipe needs ¾ cup of powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar. You won't need flour or granulated sugar as found in many cookie recipes. Instead, these ingredients are replaced by powdered sugar.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: You will need to use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The cocoa powder acts like flour in this recipe and helps hold the cookies together.
- Salt: Use just a pinch of salt which is about half of ⅛ teaspoon. Even a tiny amount helps to tone down the sweetness and enriches the overall flavor of the cookies. I recommend using kosher salt.
- Egg white: The egg white helps to give the cookies their meringue-like texture.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor
- Chocolate: Use 1 ounce of either chocolate chips or a chopped semi sweet chocolate bar. An ounce of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks equals about ⅛ cup or 2 tablespoons.
- Pecans: You may use walnuts instead.
How To Make This Recipe
- Sift together powdered sugar, cocoa and salt.
- In a separate small bowl, whip egg white and vanilla until the egg white is frothy and foamy.
- Stir the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Fold in chocolate and pecans.
- Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This part is important. As the cookies cool, the tops continue to "harden" a bit and the cookies firm up more.
Expert Tips
- For best results, be sure to sift your powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), cocoa powder, and salt before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- The cookie dough will be liquidy and won't look like typical cookie dough. They will spread as they bake in the oven so be sure to space the cookies 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Be sure to use parchment paper or a silicone liner to line your baking sheet. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Make sure to let these cookies cool slightly before enjoying them. If you eat them straight out of the oven, they will fall apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest way to sift powdered sugar is to measure out the amount you will need for this recipe; then pour that amount into a fine mesh sieve or mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl. Hold the strainer with one hand and gently tap its side with a finger or the palm of your opposite hand until the sugar falls through the holes and into the bowl.
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this chocolate cookie recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.
- Powdered sugar: Peanut Butter Pie, Vanilla Cupcakes, Cinnamon Rolls
- Unsweetened cocoa: Chocolate Cupcakes, Triple Chocolate Scones, Hot Chocolate
- Semi-sweet chocolate: Chocolate Candy Clusters, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Pudding
- Egg Yolk: Coconut Cream Pie, Lemon Scones, Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Pecans: Butter Pecan Ice Cream, Apple Cinnamon Scones, Pecan Pie, Breakfast Bread Pudding
Other Chocolate Recipes
- Chocolate Rice Pudding For One
- Small Batch Healthy Chocolate Coffee Creamer
- 2-Ingredient Chocolate Cake For One
- Small Batch Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Mousse For One
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
RELATED: Recipes For Empty Nesters – The Joys Of Cooking For Two
Other Small Batch Cookie Recipes
- Shortbread Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie For One
- Lace Cookies
- Meringue Cookies
- Cowboy Cookies
- Deep Dish Peanut Butter Cookie For One
- Tropical White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Ginger Cookies
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
RELATED: Cooking For One Tips To Eat Healthy And Save Money
If you’ve tried these flourless chocolate cookies or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- pinch salt
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Sift together powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix egg white and vanilla with a hand mixer until frothy. Add to dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate and the pecans.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop cookies 2-inches apart onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, until tops are shiny and cracked. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, be sure to sift your powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), cocoa powder, and salt before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- The cookie dough will be liquidy and won't look like typical cookie dough. They will spread as they bake in the oven so be sure to space the cookies 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Be sure to use parchment paper or a silicone liner to line your baking sheet. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Make sure to let these cookies cool slightly before enjoying them. If you eat them straight out of the oven, they will fall apart.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Connie says
I follow the recipe and they come out perfect every time
Luz says
Such a great recipe! Thank you 🙂
Joanie Zisk says
Thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Carol Ferguson says
Just made these exactly as written but was a little confused as the batter was more like a
Paste. The recipe said it would be very thin. Baked them anyway and came out great. Didn’t see how it could be thin with only the egg white as the liquid
Claudia Holcomb says
I made these with sugar-free everything. I ended up with a very thick paste which I thinned with water. The cookies took twice as long for the tops to firm up. They never did crackle. When cooled, they were very brittle. Would it have been better to add another egg?
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Claudia, the recipe works as written and not with any substitutions. As I mentioned in the article, the powdered sugar acts as the "flour" and is a necessary ingredient. By using other ingredients, the cookies will not bake or look the same.
Claudia Mosley says
Can spenda be used instead of powdered suger?
Joanie Zisk says
Claudia, I haven't tested this recipe with anything other than powdered sugar so I can't tell you for sure how splenda will work. However, a few readers have told me they used sugar substitutes with success. If you try it with splenda, please let me know how they turn out for you.
megan says
you can make your own powdered sugar. check it out on the internet.
Dawnab says
These came out perfect, just a little hard to loosen on the cookie sheet, I was out of parchment. Love the small batch of it, clean up was a snap.
Joanie Zisk says
Thank you for your feedback. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Lynn Ricot says
Will it make a huge difference o use regular? I don't use powdered sugar enough to justify buying it.
Joanie Zisk says
I'm actually not sure, I haven't tried them with granulated sugar. If you try it, let me know how it goes.