GF Fudge Chip Cookies

In exchange for picking me up from the airport, I offered to bake a friend some cookies. Any cookies, take your pick. Chocolate chip? Peanut butter? Really, anything you like.

"Great," he said, "Doesn't matter, as long as they're gluten free."

Me, on the outside: "Oh, cool! I've never made anything gluten free before. It will be a challenge!" (On the inside: "Oh shit. I don't have any of the crazy ingredients you need to for gluten free baking. This is going to be a much more difficult and expensive project than I anticipated.)

Next step: Message Libby, my undisputed queen of gluten free baking. What should I do?! I don't know anything about baking without gluten. Help!

Libby immediately sends me a well-researched reply with some easy alternatives. Yes! I knew Libby would come through. Super easy and quick cookies--perfect!

These cookies are wonderful because instead of having to purchase wheat flour substitutes and other ingredients that I am not likely to use often, they just omit the flour entirely. They are quick, easy, sweet, crispy-chewy, and extraordinarily chocolatey. Next time I'll mix in walnuts, too, so that the bitter nuttiness can balance the sweetness for an even more complex gluten free cookie experience.

GF Fudge Chip Cookies
~Print Recipe~

• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• Chopped walnuts, to taste 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment/Silpats.
2. 
   Stir together ingredients through the vanilla, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until smooth. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir until incorporated. The mixture will look quite runny.
3. Drop batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/2" circles--use a cookie scoop if you have one.


4. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes; they should spread, become shiny, and develop crackly tops. 
5. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the pans set on cooling racks.