No flour, no oil… these cookies taste like they have both and more. They are delectable.
I first came across them at La Bottega in th ByWard Market. They sell them there on behalf of Art-Is-In Bakery here in town. Great big chocolaty cookies; crisp on the outside, soft and slightly gooey in the middle. Loads of chocolate flavor and the fact that it is paired with toasted walnuts…mmm.. it’s simply glorious.
After trying them for the first time Kala and I, she was with me at the time, went on a hunt for the recipe that would produce such delights from our own ovens.
Clearly we found it and now you can enjoy it too.
Chocolate Walnut Cookies
2 3/4 cups walnut halves or pieces
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa, plus
3 tablespoons unsweetened dutch cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Note – 4 egg whites is ½ cup if you are using eggbeaters
Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them, if you are using halves.
Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the confectioners sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. Stir in the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen).
Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Note – make the mounds high instead of wide, it makes all the difference between cookie fail and cookie win. See below.
You can see below the cookie fail on the right and a cookie win on the left.
