Chocolate Fudge Flourless Cookies

Let me take a moment to describe these cookies to you. First off, they are CHOCOLATE. Pure, smooth, rich, fudgey, and CHOCOLATE. These cookies are very light, yet have a very full flavor. They also have a hint of espresso in them, perfectly bringing out the darker tones of chocolate. The cookies are also super light and moist, and they aren't all that bad for you (my excuse for polishing off more than three in a sitting). Plus they are flourless-which has lots of benefits. They are especially good for people who have Celiac's disease (allergic to gluten). Story time!

Last year, my best friend found out she was allergic to gluten AND dairy. A horrible combination. When she told me, the first thing I did was research everything on gluten free and dairy free baked goods. I discovered the wondrous almond milk, delightful coconut oil, and gluten free flour. I didn't even know that was possible! With my new knowledge and new foods, I found a great variety of baking recipes to try. (Serious brownie points right there, no pun intended) I'm just trying to make sure that no matter what, she doesn't feel left out because no one wants to not be able to eat a perfect cookie right?

Anyways, I made this recipe a while back, and I cannot wait to make it again. It's actually pretty simple. And while it's not dairy free too (there are egg whites) you can easily make it so by using egg substitute. This recipe is my altered version of King Arthur's Flour's recipe.

Chocolate Fudge Flourless Cookies:
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark chocolate)
3 large egg whites
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Extra Confectioner's Sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Combine sugar, salt, espresso powder, and both cocoas into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined. 

Add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix until smooth and shiny. Spoon 1-2 teaspoon size drops of batter onto the baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the cookies form small cracks on the tops of the cookies. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar when cool. Bon Appetit!

Robin's Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, spring. The time for cleaning, constantly checking the weather to see if its FINALLY warm enough for shorts, and.......baking? Well baking 's pretty much a year round thing for me. But this recipe is especially springy. This time of year, the robin's eggs whoppers are always out. I love them! For those of you aren't familiar with the robin's eggs, they are just these huge malted milk balls with a hard candy coating in the shape of robins eggs. Now they aren't the healthiest things in the world, but hey, we all have to satisfy our sweet tooth once and a while right?

So this recipe I found via Pinterest (where else?) from Sugary Sweets. I added a few of my own little flairs though. This is a really great cookie. It is your typical chocolate chip, only much chewier thanks to the robins eggs and baking soda. Plus it has a great malty taste to it. Now if you are like me, you will look at some of the ingredients and your eyes may pop (3 sticks of butter?!). But don't let that turn you away. This batter makes A LOT of cookies. I got about 90, you could probably stretch and get 100 out of them, depending on size. So even though the ingredient quantities may seem large, don't freak out.

So indulge in a little taste of spring. These cookies are soo indulgent, I could eat a ton if I didn't have any self control, which I don't :). These are great party cookies, and if you bring these around, I promise you, you will make some new friends along the way. 

Robin's Eggs Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 1/2 cups Whoppers Robins Eggs, divided

3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

3 tsp malt powder

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Crush 1 1/2 cups robins eggs in a food processor until they become a fine powder. Set aside. With the remaining cup of robins eggs, crush softly with a mallet, about one hit per egg.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and malt powder in a medium bowl. Carefully mix in the finely crushed candy. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in the milk, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture. Remove from the mixer and fold in the lightly crushed candy and the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for about 45 minutes to an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line many baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and drop by the teaspoonful. Make cookies about one inch in diameter. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before serving, then enjoy!!