Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I was VERY skeptical about these cookies. How good could something be that didn't have any butter or flour? I figured I would make one batch and toss them out if I didn't like them. The recipe was super easy with very few ingredients. As I read over the instructions I was seriously confused. The recipe calls for 4 egg whites...but it never said anything about beating them until they were stiff. That seemed wrong! So, I read through all the comments and all the variations of this recipe that I could find. A few recipes were very specific--DO NOT WHIP THE EGG WHITES! So, I didn't. The final product is absolutely amazing. They have a a rich, dark, chocolate taste and crispy shell with a slightly gooey middle. They are positively addictive...and because they don't have butter or flour, they are like the salad of chocolate cookies. Make these and everyone will think you are a genius!

The basic recipe comes from Martha Stewart.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

yield: ~2 dozen large cookies prep time: ~15 minutes cook time: ~25 minutes per batch difficulty: Super Easy Oven temp: 325

Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans (or other type of nut)

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1 Tsp Vanilla

Instructions: 1. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, salt, chocolate and nuts. 2. Slightly beat the egg whites 3. Mix egg white and vanilla into dry ingredients. Drop hefty scoop of dough onto parchment covered cookie sheet. Leave 3" between cookies. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. I switched sheets around half way through. Cool COMPLETELY on wire racks.