Gluten-free Flourless Fudge Cookies taste rich and fudgy – like the edge of a brownie! And the cookies have less than 70 calories each! 
These flourless chocolate cookies are light and crisp at the edges, like meringue cookies. The centers are rich and fudgy like a brownie. And at 68 calories each, these cookies are lighter than most cookies.
Also, they don’t take much time to make. Since they’re made in one bowl and there’s so butter to soften, I can get these cookies made in about 5 minutes. So, from start to finish, these cookies take less than 15 minutes to make!
How To Make Flourless Fudge Cookies
Whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and vanilla and whisk in until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips just until incorporated. Scoop tablespoonfuls of the batter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 8-10 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so your baking time may vary.
Tips
Tips - Mixing: These cookies will have meringue-like edges but soft, fudgy centers. Mixing by hand helps to get the proper consistency. Whipping the eggs will give you a meringue-like cookie without the fudgy centers.
- Egg whites: I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and I always use 4 egg whites. However, some people have found that they have better luck with 3 egg whites and other people have found that the recipe works better as written. You may want to start with 3 egg whites, and add the 4th egg white if needed.
- Extracts: You can swap out the vanilla extract with another flavor, like peppermint, to change up the flavor of the cookies.
- Consistency: The cookies will be thin. The edges are crisp, the middles are soft. The batter is thin and isn’t like a traditional thick cookie dough.
- If you want a thicker chocolate cookie, try my Brownie Cookie recipe instead. If you’re looking for a softer, chewier gluten-free cookie with add-ins, this is the recipe you want.
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More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes!More Easy Cookie Recipes!
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Flourless Fudge Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 large egg whites1
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract2
- ½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Spray mats with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt.3 cups powdered sugar, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the vanilla and egg whites.3-4 large egg whites1, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract2
- Whisk just until the batter is moistened.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
- Scoop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheets. The batter will be thin. Leave enough space between each cookie for them to spread (about 2 ½” of space between each cookie).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Some people have found that they have better luck with 3 egg whites and other people have found that the recipe works better with 4. You may want to start with 3 egg whites, and add the 4th egg white if needed.
- You can swap out part or all of the vanilla for other extracts and flavorings, like peppermint, to change up the flavor.
- Nutrition facts have been estimated.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Originally published 6/3/12. Updated with new photos and tips 1/7/19.
Adapted from chocolateandcarrots.com
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
chathginige says
I just tried these. I was a bit nervous because i only had the liquid eggwhites and people haven’t had much success with them. My mixture was a little liquidy so I held off on the vanilla and added about 1/4-1/2 cup of almond meal. Yumm! Turned out amazing. We had them with raspberries and whipped cream. I also halved the recipe and halved the sugar.
Kate says
I’m so glad that they worked out for you with the liquid egg whites! =)
Janet says
Hi there! Do you happen to know how these do stored in the freezer?
Thanks!
Janet
Kate says
Hi! I’m sorry, but I’ve never stored these in the freezer. If you try it, I’d be interested to hear how it works out!
Katie says
I too reduced the amount of sugar and baked these in a mini muffin tin. I had to cook them a little bit longer but they turned our soooooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
I’m glad you liked them! I’ve never tried baking them in a muffin tin. Sounds interesting!
Katie says
I also reduced the amount of sugar and made these using a mini muffin tin and cooking them a little longer and they turned out soooooo good!
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Kate says
I’m glad you liked them! =)
Nicole says
About how many cookies does the recipe make? Deciding if I should half it or not. Looks so yummy :)
Kate says
I get 34 cookies when I make them. Thanks! I hope you enjoy them! =)
Elise says
What a runny mess. I know *now* that I have read the comments to cut back on the egg whites, but I shouldn’t have to read comments to get a functioning version of the recipe. Attempted to bake the first tray, but just threw the rest out.
Kate says
Since you read the comments, I’m sure you also saw all of the comments from people who’ve successfully made the recipe as it’s written. Since some people have had success and other haven’t, it’s not the recipe. As I’ve said other commenters, my guess is that it’s a matter of “large” eggs varying in their actual size.
Melissa B says
Wow! I just made these and they turned out FABULOUS!!!! Yummy times 10! They are VERY sweet, and I plan to cut down on the sugar a little in the next batch! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked the cookies! Yes, they definitely are sweet. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d be interested to hear how cutting back the sugar works out.
Janet Fazio says
Looking forward to trying these. I’ll add one egg yolk at a time as suggested by many above.
Kate says
I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Karen says
No yolks, just the whites
Kate says
Yes, you’ll just use the whites in the recipe.
Beth says
I just made this recipe and I loved it! I used 2.5 cups of sugar and three egg whites. Also, instead of the chocolate chips, I cut up Dove dark chocolates (because I didn’t have any chips). I absolutely adore this recipe and wondered if I could repost it on my blog? Thanks!
-Beth
Kate says
Hi Beth,
I’m glad you liked it! Sure! =) It sounds like you adapted the recipe, so please feel free to post your adaptation along with your pictures on your site.
Scaryclowngirl says
Ok, so this is a great cookie recipe! I changed it up a little bit though. I thought 3 cups sugar was too much so i added only one cup (witch was still to sweet for me) and i put in only 2 egg whites instead of 4. Then the last 2 modifications i made was adding peppermint extract instead of vanilla and excluding the chocolate chips. They came out awesome with great chocolate mint flavor! but they are not crackly like the picture you showed, that’s probably because i didn’t follow the recipe lol
Thank’s for this recipe :)
Kate says
I’m glad you were able to make it work for your tastes! Chocolate mint is a great combo! =)
Sara says
I randomly stumbled upon this recipe, and boy am I glad that I did! These are very similar to my favorite cookies from the bakery at Whole Foods that I crave all the time! I love the richness of the cookie to where you don’t have to eat half of the batch to get that sweet fix. Just one with a glass of milk is just about perfect :)! And the consistency seemed just about right to me. I used the 4 egg whites and I thought it turned out fine. My only problem was not having the patience to wait for them to cool!!! Thank you for this recipe!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked the cookies and that they worked out for you! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!! =)
Jaime says
I made these the other night and realized quickly that my 4 egg whites was way too many! I used the liquid form. Although my husband loved the flavor so I attempted them again tonight. I used the equivalent to less than 3 whites and they still came out flat – but still delicious! What am I doing wrong?? (Note: I did use the silicone mats and all other instructions followed)
I want to make these like your picture – thanks for any help!
Kate says
I haven’t tried using liquid egg whites. I think they tend to be harder to work with (I know they’re supposed to be a substitute, but I swear they have water in them). Although, from all of the comments I’ve gotten, it seems like egg whites just tend to vary. So, I’d try starting off with, maybe, 2 egg whites and then going from there. Since the batter is basically egg whites, sugar, and cocoa, it’s a wetter, thinner consistency than a flour-based cookie. Another thing is to let them cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet. They get more of the cracker appearance as they sit and cool.
So, just as benchmark for comparison purposes – my cookies are about 1/4 of an inch thick. They are thinner than, say, a normal chocolate chip cookie. I hope that helps!
Ashley Kate says
I cut this recipe in half, used half powdered sugar with half Splenda powdered sugar, added about 1 or 2 T hot chocolate powder, and added peanut butter morsels. Since the batter was a smidge runny, I decided to make them into cupcakes instead. They were a hit!!!
Kate says
Glad you made it work! The peanut butter morsels sound like a tasty addition! =)
Kelly says
Sadly these turned out to be a sickly sweet, sticky mess. Way too runny and couldn’t get them off the silpat without breaking into pieces. I’ve never had anything else stick to my silpat! Won’t be making these again :(
Kate says
It sounds like something went wrong when you made these cookies. Some people have said that they’ve reduced the number of egg whites to 3 and have had more success that way. Since you said the batter was very runny, I’m guessing the extra egg white was the behind them being too runny and too sticky.
Tracey says
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe! My co-workers and I always get the afternoon munchies for something sweet, and this was pretty guilt-free…much better than the giant cookies at the cafe next door! Just to add to the egg convo… I used 3 egg whites and it was the perfect consistency. Ready to check out your website for other fun new recipes!
Kate says
I’m glad you found it, too! =) And I’m glad that you found the right amount of egg. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Angie says
I made these tonight for “food day” at work. I have a gluten-free coworker so I thought I would fix something she could indulge in. I have 3 words… OH MY WORD! These are awesome. I had no issues with them being runny. In fact, I only did 3 egg whites like most comments said, and ended up adding the 4th egg white because the batter was too dry. I sprayed my cookie sheets with olive oil spray and let them cool completely like you said. They came right off with very little effort. It made 30 cookies for me (and I was shocked at how big they spread out). I plugged it into Weight Watchers, and using my brand ingredients, they are only 2 pp+ each! Thank you for my new favorite cookie recipe!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked them!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave this comment. It made my morning. =)
Laura Fountain says
I tried to put the cookies on the liner to bake and they were still running into each other. So instead, I greased a pie pan and put all of the batter into the pan and made a cookie pie. I had to bake it for 12 minutes instead but so far from the taste test it tasted amazing. I made this recipe for my health and fitness support group and it seems like its a good way to indulge a little without all the extra calories that normal cookies give. A good sweet treat every once in a while that won’t demolish a diet. Do you know how many carbs this recipe has?
Kate says
I’m glad the pie pan worked! Thanks for the tip!
I’m not sure how many carbs are in the cookies. I just use an online nutritional calculator to find out the info on my recipes. It sounds like 4 egg whites may be too much for some people; you could try 3 next time, and that may help. =)
Josie says
Hi, just wondering how many cookies the recipe usually makes? These sound delicious! With regards to sticking problems perhaps beating the egg whites until they are light would help?
Kate says
Thanks! The recipe makes 34 cookies when I make them.
It seems like the sticking issue may have to do with the amount of egg white. I don’t know if the size of “large” eggs varies, but the extra egg white (3 vs. 4) seems to be an issue for some people. If you beat the egg whites, you’re going to end up with something that’s more like a meringue cookie. I’m sure it would be tasty, but it may not have the fudgy texture that these cookies have. Good luck! =)
Jenn says
These were really good. I made a few changes after reading some comments: I used 2.5 cups of sugar, I added walnuts instead of chocolate chips, I sprayed the parchment paper, and I used 2 small whole eggs (I can’t bear to throw food stuff out and I don’t see me using the yolks for anything). The cookies looked like the picture and did not stick. I wish they were a little less sweet but they tasted just like brownies. My husband and son (who typically don’t like chocolate cookies) loved them. Thank you!
Kate says
Thanks for the tips! It’s good to know that they’ll come out using whole eggs, too. And the walnuts sound like a great addition! I’ll have to try that next time. =)
Casie says
I tried making these today and though I followed the directions to a “t”, they came out incredibly flat and stuck to the parchment paper. The taste was good (had to scrape them off of the parchment paper with a spoon) but they didn’t look nearly as pretty as the picture shown. Any idea what my problem was? :/
Kate says
Some people have said that they’ve needed to reduce the amount of egg whites from 4 to 3. I’m not sure if that would help, but it might be worth a try!