I was walking down 10th avenue in the Pearl district, just north of downtown Portland, Oregon when my nose went into high alert. The compelling aroma of melted chocolate, toasted walnuts, and vanilla pulled me down the block, through a nondescript doorway, and then down a flight of stairs to, BEHOLD, a tiny French bakery tucked into the basement of a building. The sign said, Nuvrei. There, just behind the itsy-bitsy counter was a rack of over-sized, just-baked, crackle-surfaced, bittersweet chocolate cookies. The friendly young baker said they were called Flourless Chocolate Cookies.
I bought one and my life hasn’t been the same since. For one thing, I find myself walking down 10th avenue almost every day, a route I rarely walked previously. The aroma hits me about a block away from the bakery and carries me helplessly along, until the next thing I know, I’m sinking my teeth slowly into one of those crispy-chewy, impossibly chocolaty cookies and then trying to conceal the low moaning noises that seem to be emanating from my vocal cords.
The cookies are around $3.50 each and it’s a mile and a half walk to get one, so at some point I began to think about making them myself. I poured through the dozens of chocolate cookbooks on my shelves, but not one had a flourless chocolate cookie. I thought about contacting the owner of Nuvrei and begging the recipe off him. “Oh please sir, I can’t walk a mile and a half every day for a cookie and have developed quite an addiction you see and really must have one of your cookies EVERY day, so if you would be so kind as to share the recipe with me, I will name my daughter’s first born after you.”
Then, just as I was about to do something desperate (like apply for a job in the bakery), I spotted a chocolate cookbook at Powell’s Books that I didn’t already own: Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. I flipped to the index and there it was: Flourless Chocolate Cookies. I bought the book, hopped the streetcar home and turned on the oven.
The resulting cookies were exceedingly wonderful and exceedingly close to the flavor, texture, and look of Nuvrei’s chocolate cookies, but not EXACTLY. One difference I could easily correct: Nuvrei’s cookies are noticeably salty. I LOVE that. However, Nuvrei’s cookies are also a little thicker and that factor was a bit more difficult to remedy.
Francois Payard’s batter is comprised of only three key structural ingredients: premium unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and egg whites. It has the texture of chocolate syrup and spreads out considerably on the baking sheet, especially at the edges. Adding lots of walnuts helps to hold the batter in place, but the edges still have a tendency to spread. In one test, I used English muffin rings to confine the spread of the cookies and that had the desired effect, except on the edges, which were then straight, ½-inch thick, and not crisp. The cookie looked more like a thin, round brownie.
I wondered what effect chilling the batter before shaping and baking the cookies would have on the shape and texture. If I ran a bakery, for efficiency sake, I would whip up large batches of batter and then bake the cookies off as needed, at least a couple of times a day. Perhaps that’s what Nuvrei does. Anyway, I tried it and BINGO. The cookies were easier to shape, held a more uniform appearance while baking and were thicker when baked. They do require a longer baking time however, as they are cold when they go into the oven. If you use this method, add at least 2 minutes to the cooking time.
Above you see the original cookie batter recipe baked immediately after mixing, baked after chilling overnight, and baked immediately after mixing in an English muffin ring.
Then I wondered what 2 additional minutes of beating would do to the batter and BINGO again. The batter was now firm enough to hold its shape when scooped onto the baking sheet. So much so that as a precautionary measure, I wet my fingers with cold water and pressed the domes down just a bit in the center. Because this method doesn’t require the extra time it takes to chill the dough, it’s the method I will use most often in the future. Combined with the use of a muffin top pan (described below), the cookies are about ½-inch thick, uniformly shaped, and crispy on the top and sides. In other words, perfecta mundo!
Here you see the cookies baked immediately after mixing for 5, rather than 3, minutes.
Bittersweet Chocolate & Toasted Walnut Cookies Perfecta Mundo!
Adapted from the recipe titled, Flourless Chocolate Cookies, in Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. I highly recommend this beautiful cookbook.
This is the one cookie recipe you need for occasions when you want to really WOW your friends, family, or coworkers. It is sensational with a capitol S. However, sensational comes at a price and that price is your willingness to locate and then pay a shocking sum for premium cocoa powder. Yes, it makes a difference. A BIG difference. This is not the time to grab the Hershey’s.
For those of you who are prone to guilt, note that there is no flour or butter in these cookies. It’s interesting how much more vibrant the chocolate flavor is without these ingredients.
INGREDIENT NOTE With so few ingredients, this recipe is the perfect vehicle to test the deliciousness of premium cocoa powders. There was a marked flavor difference, for instance between my tests using Green & Black’s cocoa powder and E. Guittard cocoa powder. They were both wonderful in these cookies, as evidenced by how quickly the cookies disappeared. But, for me, there is something extra appealing about E. Guittard cocoa. For the moment, it’s my favorite.
EQUIPMENT NOTE I had difficulty getting a consistent shape and depth with these cookies until I remembered a pan I had seen at Sur La Table called a muffin top pan. With six, 4-inch shallow indents, this pan turned out to be just the ticket. The batter stays within the confines of the indents and bakes into perfectly round, ½–inch thick cookies. If you want irregular, thinner cookies, simply use a regular baking sheet.
TECHNIQUE NOTE On another front, I noticed quite a bit of wailing on the web from folks who experienced difficulty with these cookies irretrievably sticking to the pan or the parchment paper. For me, the following methods all resulted in cookies that could be easily removed from the pan or paper: cooking spray-coated silicon parchment paper liner, cooking spray-coated nonstick foil liner, cooking spray-coated nonstick muffin top pan, and shortening-coated nonstick muffin top pan. In all cases, it is best to remove the cookies from the pan or the paper or foil while the cookies are still slightly warm (not too warm or they will break). Use a flexible spatula if necessary to loosen any stubborn spots.
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (13 ounces)
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened, alkalized (Dutch-process) cocoa powder (2? ounces) (I tested with Green & Black’s organic alkalized cocoa powder and E. Guittard alkalized cocoa powder)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups walnuts, toasted for 10 minutes in a 350º oven, cooled, and then coarsely chopped (untoasted walnuts also work just fine)
4 large egg whites, cool room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
2.With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and then the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is somewhat thickened. (If you mix too briefly, the batter will be thin and runny. However, with a full 5 minutes of beating, the batter thickens to the degree that it holds its shape for several minutes when scooped onto the baking sheet.)
3.Remove the work bowl, and scrape the batter from the paddle attachment. Stir in the chopped walnuts, and mix thoroughly. If you want to wait until later to bake the cookies, put the batter into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
4.Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop level amounts of batter into each of the six indents of a cooking spray-coated nonstick Chicago Metallic Muffin Top sheet (to ensure the cookies don’t stick, you can cut rounds of nonstick foil with tabs to line the indents) or onto a cooking spray-coated, parchment paper-lined baking sheet, five cookies per sheet, about 3 inches apart.
5.Wet your fingers with cold water and press down lightly on the center of each cookie, just to flatten the dome a bit.
6.Put cookies into a 350º oven and immediately lower the temperature to 320º.
7.Bake for 16-18 minutes for cookies in a muffin top pan or 14-16 minutes for cookies on a sheet pan. Turn the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. The cookies are done when small cracks appear on the surface.
8.Remove the muffin top or cookie sheet from the oven.
9.If using the muffin top pan, put it on a wire rack to cool. When still slightly warm, lift the cookies from the pan with a flexible spatula.
10.If using parchment paper, pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool. Immediately slide a thin spatula under each cookie to loosen it from the paper. When cool, remove the cookies from the parchment paper.
11.Store cookies, layered between rounds of wax paper, in an airtight metal cookie tin for up to 2 days.
Makes twelve to fourteen, 4-inch cookies.
There’s More
Check out these additional CHOCOLATE recipes, which are part of the first annual Love Rules! celebration at LunaCafe (All Chocolate All Month):
Bittersweet Chocolate & Toasted Walnut Cookies Perfecta Mundo!
Mexican Hearts of Fire Cookies
Bittersweet Chocolate & Montmorency Cherry Morning Love Muffins
Luscious White Chocolate & Raspberry Rose Petal Cheesecake
Coming Soon
Smokin’ Hot Chocolate Pudding
Burnt Sugar & Rosemary Chocolate Tart
Chocolate and Cabernet Red Velvet Pound Cake
About Susan S. Bradley
LOL The ingredient list is complete..The order of assemblage is left to one’s own experience and expertise… and yes,roll in 10x confectionary sugar before baking…it gives a nice glaze Mike
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had something very similar to these at a pot-luck, bought from Von’s grocery store. AMAZING. They were thicker like yours, shiny/crackly on top, moist and chewy inside. The most striking thing was the smell! I can’t imagine the cookies were incredibly fresh (coming from Von’s and all), but they smelled like a fresh batch of brownies. Got home that night and looked for a recipe but the pictures all looked too thin – until I got to yours! Thanks so much for messing with the recipe “Cook’s Illustrated” style. I’ll be making these for Passover with kosher for Passover powdered sugar(made with potato starch rather than corn starch). Hopefully they’ll turn out as beautifully as yours did, as I have to impress the boyfriend’s family…
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wlo Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Tried them the first time with Valrhona cocoa powder (not dutch process) and they were flat as a disk. There must be something about the alkali that helps the cookie rise. Tried it again with Druste dutch cocoa and they came out perfectly.
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Fully intend to try your recipe… And when I locate the recipe I was given for Payards recipe I’ll post if you wish…
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Mike, thanks! Yes, would love to see that original Payard’s recipe. I love anything that has almomd paste in it.
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Mike Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Didn’t forget you, just mispalaced :
Almond paste- 1#…..Candy orange peel-1oz…….Egg Whites-2…….Chocolate Cocoa Powder- 1 oz….Walnuts….. Roll in 10z Confectionary……375- 5 minutes
Looking foward to your results and replies
Admitedly, there are a few fill in the blanks .
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Mike, a FEW fill-in-the-blanks? LOL! I’m intriqued by “roll in 10 ounces confectionary” (assume that’s powdered sugar).
FINALLY GETTING AROUND TO THIS DELICIOUS LITTLE WEBSITE …THE RECIPE FRANCOIS PAYARD PUBLISHES FOR HIS CHOCOLATE COOKIES ! HE’S A SLY ONE…. AS THE COOKIES MADE IN HIS BAKERIES UTILIZE ALMOND PASTE
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Mike, oh that DEVIL! I spent so much time testing and tweeking his printed recipe to acheive the desired result. It was perplaxing that I had to veer dramatically away from his directions to get that incredible chewiness. Nonetheless, the cookie I created as a result is amazing, and of course it has no almond paste.
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Where are you ?
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Ray, I’m here, just not every minute.
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ray
February 22, 2011 at 10:57 amDo you need to spray the non stick foil liner/and or the muffin pan first with cooking spray if you use the foil liner with tabs in a muffin top pan ?
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Do you need to spray the non stick foil liner/and or the muffin pan first with cooking spray if you use the foil liner with tabs in a muffin top pan ?
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
Ray, yes, spray the pan and the liners. Happy baking!
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Do you fill the muffin pan with something to 1/2 ” from top or just put in bottom of pan on tin foil ?
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Looks delicious — thank you for all your effort in testing and retesting to find the perfect recipe!
I have a lot of hazelnuts on hand and no walnuts — would this recipe come out well with hazelnuts instead of walnuts?
Thanks
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Susan S. Bradley Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
KayBakes, thank you, and yes chopped hazelnuts would be wonderful here.
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Okay girl, I have just had three of these sinful goodies, and I’m thinking I need to go lay down. They are so delectable and rich that words can not describe. I used King Aurthur black cocoa and wow! These cookies really are a wonderful medium to taste the cocoa-ness of your cocoa powder. I decided to take these cookies to the wine and cheese party tonight, (after my nap of course). I’m sure they will go over well!
.-= Dana Zia´s last blog ..Peanut Butter Brownies for my Magnificent Mother =-.
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sms bradley Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Dana, I’m with you on these cookies. I literally cannot stop eating them when they are on hand and thus have to really think hard about whether I should make a batch. But dearest, they have NO BUTTER and NO FLOUR. Or so I tell myself when I am stuffing my face with them. Wow, black cocoa powder, can’t wait to try that. Also need to jump over to your site to check out those scrumptious sounding Peanut Butter Brownies. If there is one thing I love almost as much as chocolate, it’s peanut butter.
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Oh! Foogasmic!! These cookies look awesome. I’m having a real foogasm! I’m sure to bake some today!
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Cookies Perfecto Mundo made public is a world class service and I want to try it.
My question is, Dutch process cocoa removes the beneficial antioxidants from chocolate. Do you have any ideas about using regular chocolate powder and xylitol as a sweetener?
Thanks you again. It is better than a regular cookie recipe no matter how you look at it.
Miriam
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sms bradley Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Thanks Miriam! I have been searching for the holy grail of cookies for many years and consider this recipe an absolute breakthrough. In my estimation, these cookies are perfection for their type (crispy-chewy-chocolatey).
Although I have not tested it, I see no reason why you can’t substitute natural cocoa powder for alkalized cocoa powder here. The sugar though is quite a different matter. Basically, the powdered sugar and egg whites create a kind of meringue and the cookies depend on that effect for their structure. You can test it of course, maybe without the walnuts on the first test, just in case it doesn’t work. Do let us know what occurs here. I am intrigued.
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Hi,
I’m eager to try these. What about using Ghiradelli cocoa? My local grocery store only had that and Hersheys….
Amy
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sms bradley Reply:
July 7th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Amy, you might want to review my Choosing the Best Cocoa Powder post at http://thelunacafe.com/basics/tasting/cocoa-powder/. It’s all about the flavor. I don’t recommend regular Hershey’s cocoa powder but I didn’t sample Ghiradelli’s. It’s certainly worth a try. Let me know how it goes.
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Amy Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
OK, so the first time was a bust. My hand mixer on medium is a little much, and I ended up with merengue. The second time I first stirred 2 egg whites in with a fork, before adding in the others and mixing on low. They came out DELICIOUS, but did spread a lot on a plain baking sheet. I happened to find a blog about Payard’s recipe just now, where one of the Payard bakers wrote in(due to the spreading complaints), and said that the batter should be more like dough, and you should only use as much egg white as necessary to create a scoopable dough. Anyway, the Ghiradelli is good, bt I could see how a premium cocoa will give a stronger flavor. I’m thinking to add in some ancho and chili powder next time for a spicy-chocolate loving friend.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Amy
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sms bradley Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Great, glad they worked out for you. As I describe and picture above, the dough should not be runny and should hold its shape on the cookie sheet. The special pan makes a big difference in the finished depth of the cookie as well.
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Love them! I want to get the Guittard cocoa and found 2 types of the Dutch-processed: 10-12% cocoa butter and 22-24%. Which would you recommend?
Thanks!
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sms bradley Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 am
Thanks so much!
I used Guittard Cocoa Rouge for some of the tests on this cookie. I purchased it at Williams Sonoma. I’m not sure on the fat content but suspect that either will work here. If I can find the higher fat cocoa, I will use it the next time I bake these cookies and let you all know the results.
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insanity!!!! PMS DREAM!!! Love it! Added to the recipe list
FoodOfMiami´s last blog post..Hiro’s Yakko San – North Miami
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smsb Reply:
April 8th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Thank you!
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your cookies are delicious, they are beautiful and the chocolate like to based
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sms bradley Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 am
Thanks so much!
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MMMMM I made these today and they were…wow….thanks for this great recipe! I even added orange zest and chopped chocolate chips to my second batch. My new signature recipe!
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smsb Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Ahhhh, Sheila, that sounds fantastic. I want to try an orange-chile version next. And then candied ginger. I meant to mention that Nuvrei does a version with chocolate chunks instead of walnuts. But those are for ADVANCED chocolate eaters.
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I loved this recipe and my husband (who does not like anything healthy) loved it. I used all regular Splenda and baked on a well greased cookie sheet and everything turned out wonderfully. I will definitely make these again!!
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smsb Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Thank you! Wow, it’s great to know it works with all Splenda. Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing that info!
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Is there a splenda version of powdered sugar?
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sms bradley Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Deb, Splenda has a half-and-half mixture of Splenda and sugar, which bakes in a similar way to regular sugar. You can get the details at http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml?id=splenda/products/blend.inc. I haven’t tried it, but I think regular sugar (or the Splenda mix) will work in this cookie. It’s worth a try, eh?
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Many thanks for these techniques, really!
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sms bradley Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Sha, I am happy that you find the information useful.
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These are some of the most beautiful, delicious looking cookies I have seen!
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smsb Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Thanks HoneyB!
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Those look so fantastic! Smooshy chocolate. That’s what I’m talking about.
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sms bradley Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Robin, honestly, these cookies are WOW. I am addicted to the texture: first a little crisp on the surface, then super chewy, then oozing chocolate and crunchy toasted walnuts. I should add that we determined that 2 days is the outside holding time for these cookies if sealed airtight. After that, the texture goes slightly wonky and the magic is lost. They aren’t likely to last 2 days though, so no worries.
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These cookies look amazing! I am going to have to get some good cocoa powder and try them.
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smsb Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Thanks Sara!
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Those cookies look so good! Great idea to use the muffin top pan with a clean lifter system.
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smsb Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Thanks Kevin! I was perhaps overly cautious on making liners for a nonstick pan but there was so much concern expressed on the web from folks who made similar cookies and then ccouldn’t get them poff the pan, that I thought better safe than sorry. It turned out not to be necessary, however.
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These look fantastic, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be made and in my belly this weekend.
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sms bradley Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Ian, this weekend? You understand that you are only 20 minutes away from Nirvana, right?
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Absolutely fantastic, and I love the “I’m Doing For the Good of Mankind” approach — sharing pics of each method and its results. I, too, use a muffin top pan, for cookies. In fact, for everything except muffin tops — which this pan does not make.
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sms bradley Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Thanks Kate! I agree that a perfect cookie is a good thing for mankind, as you say.
I’m glad you mention that this pan does not make muffin tops. I wondered about that. But I like it so much for cookies that I’m going to get a couple more. It should be perfect for oatmeal and peanut butter cookies as well.
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Those cookies are mouth-watering…. I want one now!
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smsb Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Thanks Chocolate Shavings! I want one now too.
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OMG!!!!!!!! The pictures!!!! I’m dying here!!!!
I found the best, darkest cocoa powder in the bulk food section at my Yokes grocery store. (Wa. state)
Never payed much attention to the quality of the cocoa I used until the day I ran out mid recipe & borrowed some Hersheys cocoa from a neighbor. It was so light! If I hadn’t opened her new can of cocoa myself I would have thought it was hot cocoa mix! What a difference! We could really taste the difference too!
I enjoy your blog & will think of you fondly when I make these cookies tomorrow. ;o}
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smsb Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Thanks Val!
I did an extensive cocoa powder tasting and was really intriqued by the results. I will share that in the upcoming ultimate chocolate pudding post.
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Can I be your valentine? Then you can send me a few dozen of these beautiful cookies. They are just stunning!
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sms bradley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Chuck, I just accepted your Be My Valentine request on your great site (oh the bread!), but I called you Ken, so you need to forgive me. Cookies for freshly baked bread? I’m all yours.
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oh yum! these look great!!
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sms bradley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Thanks Natalie! Now you can give your friends a few of these cookies WITH those darling cup holders you make.
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OMG they look amazing!!!! I am definitely going to try this one!
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sms bradley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Pigpigs, I’m not over inflating here. Go to your kitchen now and turn on the oven! I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good these cookies are. You will be too!
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these look so moist! yummy!
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sms bradley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Meeta, you could be eating these cookies in, oh, 20 minutes or so.
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