Double Chocolate Cookies

It's been unusually cold here in Vegas, and I've been craving something chocolaty that's warm from the oven.  I  had a scant 1/4 cup of flour remaining in the house and didn't feel like braving the chill to get more.  So, I turned to the always-handy Internet and found a flourless cookie recipe that would make use of the cocoa and unsweetened chocolate I had on hand.

This super simple recipe uses only 5 ingredients and whips up in minutes.  As a bonus, these cookies are gluten- and dairy-free.

These are quirky treats, crispy on the outside and fudgy on the inside.  Despite being made with a full box of confectioners sugar, they are not overly sweet.  In fact, they would be delicious with a small scoop of premium vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound confectioners (powdered) sugar (approximately 3 3/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 5 large egg whites

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa and salt.
• Stir in chopped chocolate.
• Stir in egg whites until just blended.  Be sure not to overmix.
• Drop by tablespoon-fulls on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between cookies.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookie tops are dry and crackled.

Makes about 16 large cookies.

This recipe is adapted from the Bitten Word's Flourless Double-Chocolate Cookies recipe.