I’m a big fan of King Arthur Flour for a number of reasons, not least of the which is that any recipes they provide are reliable, tested items. It’s kind of like getting a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated – you know that a real, live actual person has tested the recipes and – more likely than not – they’re going to work.
That being said, I’m usually too lazy to make bread anymore because I’ve been so busy with school the last few years (graduate this week!). Their cookies and quick breads, however, are usually pretty easy to whip up.
I also try to avoid baking cookies too often, really just out of sympathy for my poor bathroom scale and the seams in my jeans, but around Christmastime calories only count for half – or so I’m inclined to believe. These cookies, as far as cookies go at least, are relatively healthy. There's zero fat and they're not terribly caloric.
Last year I went on an all-out cookie bonanza for my father-in-law’s company Christmas party – sugar and gingerbread cookies painstakingly decorated by hand along with chocolate-peppermint cream whoopee pies.
It was exhausting.
This year I wanted cookies that were at least relatively easy to put together, while still making me look like a culinary badass. These, my fine Internet friends, are it. They take about 60 seconds to put together and about 12 minutes to bake, but they look like they involved all sorts of complicated things like whipping and folding and magical chocolatey fairies. But no, a 5-year old could do it. Literally.
So make like a 5-year old, throw these together, and let your office holiday partygoers revel in your awesomeness.
KAF’s Flourless Fudge Cookies
Yields about 2 dozen 2 inch cookies
(I prefer to bake by weight, click here to go to the original recipe at KAF with weight measurements)
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Or line with parchment, and grease the parchment.
2) Stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth.
3) Drop the soft, batter-like dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1/2" circles; a two teaspoon cookie scoop works well here.
4) Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops.
5) Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan.
