These flourless chocolate cookies are amazing! Rich, chewy, fudge-like, and loaded with pecans. This easy 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 cookies are simply amazing! They're wonderfully gooey and incredibly fudgy. This small batch flourless chocolate cookie recipe will yield 5 or 6 cookies.
Flourless chocolate cookies are perfect if you have one egg white leftover from a recipe. These cookies are deliciously crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Gluten-Free: These flourless chocolate cookies are gluten-free and incredibly delicious. Since there isn't any flour in this cookie recipe, the egg white acts as the binder for the cookies. This means that the egg white bakes up slightly in the oven making the cookies crisp yet chewy.
- No fancy ingredients: They're made with ingredients you may likely have in your pantry already.
- Rich and fudgy: If you're a fan of brownies, you'll absolutely love these cookies.
- The perfect amount for one or two people: This flourless chocolate cookie recipe is a small batch recipe. It will yield 5 or 6 cookies. You can also double this recipe to make more cookies.
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- 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 ⅛ teaspoon of kosher salt. Even a tiny amount helps to tone down the sweetness and enriches the overall flavor of the cookies.
- 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. One ounce of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks equals about ⅛ cup or 2 tablespoons.
- Pecans: You may use walnuts instead.
How To Make Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- 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, spacing the cookies at least 2-inches apart,, 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. These cookies tend to stick to the parchment paper if underbaked. If this happens, simply use a stiff metal spatula to unstick the cookies by sliding the spatula far underneath the cookie, and carefully lift them from the pan.
- 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 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.
No. We use powdered sugar instead of flour. The powdered sugar along with the egg white is what gives these chocolate cookies their structure. Replacing powdered sugar with a product that is so chemically different will change the recipe too much and it simply won't work.
No. An egg white is essential to this chocolate cookie recipe. The egg white gives the cookies their meringue-like texture.
No. Because these cookies are flourless, they lack gluten. The cookies are held together with protein that comes from the egg white. There is fat in the egg yolk and using it would change the texture of these cookies completely. See below for ways to use the leftover egg yolk.
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 leftover 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, Mini Texas Sheet Cake
- Unsweetened cocoa: Chocolate Cupcakes, Triple Chocolate Scones, Hot Chocolate, Mini Devil's Food Cake
- Semi-sweet chocolate: Chocolate Candy Clusters, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Pudding, Peppermint Bark
- Egg Yolk: Coconut Cream Pie, Lemon Scones, Chocolate Chip Muffin, Mini Irish Soda Bread
- Pecans: Butter Pecan Ice Cream, Apple Cinnamon Scones, Pecan Pie, Breakfast Bread Pudding, Mini Hummingbird Cake
Other Single Serving and Small Batch 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
- Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Chocolate Mousse
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
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Doubletree Cookies
- Soft Ginger Cookies
- Ricotta Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip 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
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Recipe
Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips (1-ounce)
- 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 foamy and frothy. Add to the 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.
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.
Beth Pendleton says
This is by far the strangest recipe I’ve ever made. The cookies are beyond delicious but the way the ingredients come together is so interesting. I followed the instructions exactly and used the hand mixer on low. I couldn’t see how that tiny bit of wet ingredients could make a “wet” dough but it did. I will make these cookies on a regular basis.