I first made and shared these ten years ago - Ten! Whole! Years! Ago! I made them for the middle school youth girls at the church we attended at the time, back in Washington, but in the intervening years this is a recipe I've come back to regularly, because -
1.) The cookies are flourless, making them great for sharing with loved ones with gluten/grain allergies and sensitivities.
2.) In the last decade, it's much easier to get chocolate made without dairy, making these gluten *and* dairy free, and as a cookie that is frankly hard to beat.
3.) These are frankly just plain delicious. Many allergy-friendly baked goods are sad and grainy facsimiles of the real deal, but these are just plain good. Frankly, I like these better than the chocolate crinkle cookies I grew up with, because they never seemed as chocolate-y as I wanted.
But these? These are a chocolate punch in the face. In a good way, lol.
4.) Most of the ingredients are pantry staples! They freeze like a dream! Literally no downside here!
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| Fudgy Chocolate Meringue Crinkles |
You will need:
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided (I had mini chips and some leftover baking chocolate squares - technically, this is one of those recipes where if you have high-quality chocolate, you should use it, but if you don't, don't let it stop you)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.) Pull the eggs out of the fridge so they can achieve room-temp status.
2.) Preheat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets (or one big one and one small one, which worked fine for me) with parchment paper.
3.) Melt 1 cup of the chocolate in a glass bowl/measuring cup in the microwave, heating it in 30-60 second bursts and stirring in between until smooth.
4.) Mix the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in a separate bowl. Give it a stir.
4.) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1 cup powdered sugar until the mixture is well-beaten and glossy. Switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle, if using a stand mixer.
5.) With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients to the sugary egg whites, followed by the melted chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate.
6.) Depending on where you live and the temperature of your home and the position of Mercury, the cookie dough will either be. 1.) stiff or 2.) runny like brownie batter. If it's the latter, just chill the batter in the fridge for 20 or so minutes - it'll firm right up.
7.) Place about 1/2 c. or so powdered sugar into a small bowl. With a tablespoon measure, scoop dough, roll it in your hands, and roll it in the powdered sugar. If the mixture starts getting too soft, chill the bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Place rolled balls on cookie sheet; give them a teeny smoosh onto the sheet, just so they don't roll all over the place when you move the sheet.
8.) Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed and crackled and set just enough to not make a mess. (Note: here in Colorado, outside Boulder, about 9 minutes was right.)
Makes about 18.
What you should know about these cookies -
They are genuinely amazing. Tasting one of these cookies is like falling in love.
If you make them up, tell me what you think!
