I’m usually pretty wary of gluten free recipes that seem to be making odd substitutions, or just eliminating flour and thinking the baked good will come out the same. If they don’t do that, they require weird ingredients (has anyone ever actually found xanthan gum?) before they’ll reach a kind of close-to-right consistency.

So when I was looking for dessert to bring over to my family’s Third of July Party, where gluten-free desserts are in high demand, and came across these chocolate cookies, I didn’t think they’d actually work. Looking at the recipe, it seems like they substituted flour with confectioners sugar, which, though they look alike, 100% behave differently in the oven.

However, last weekend I made some Strawberry Ice Cream (will be posted at some point before summer is over, I promise), so I knew I had a backup blog if they were a complete failure.

First, whisk together the confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Then, whisk in the egg and egg whites. Finally, fold in the chopped chocolate. The batter will be very soupy. That may be due to the fact it was 85° outside and I don’t have AC, but I’m pretty sure it’s just the batter. I pressed on, and it worked.

Drop the batter by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. They will spread. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, rotating halfway through, until tops are cracked. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Full disclosure, I originally made these with the intent of combining them with the strawberry ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches. But then I thought it would be rude to bring only 10 ice cream sandwiches to a cookout. So cookies they remain. I encourage you to experiment, though!

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
2. Whisk in egg whites and egg to combine.
3. Fold in chopped chocolate.
4. Drop batter by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until tops are cracked, rotating the pan halfway through.
6. Remove to wire rack immediately to cool completely.