Sometimes the reality of going to a place on one's bucket list, doesn't always live up to either the hype or the expectations. But then sometimes, the experience more than exceeds them. Nothing, not even the thousands of images I had drooled over prior to going on this trip, prepared me for a recent bucket list trip. As just last week, I was in a state of head spinning, heart racing visual nirvana while taking in the sunrise beauty at Horseshoe Bend, exploring the Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons in Page, Arizona, and hiking in Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. Places I had dreamt of going for years. The landscapes in northern Arizona and southwestern Utah were unlike anything I had ever seen before and they were beyond spectacular. And while all of the other worldly, mesmerizing images will be permanently etched in my memory, I would jump at the chance to go back there again. With everything that has gone on in the world and is going on now, being able to freely travel feels like such a privilege these days. One I don't think I will ever take for granted. In addition to the lifetime of memories, there many takeaways from this long awaited, breathtaking adventure. But there was that one resonated with me the most. Never give up on your dreams.
After eating almost every meal at a restaurant for several days, it felt good to get back home to my kitchen, to get back to cooking and baking. There had a been a cookie recipe I had been wanting to make for months, but for some reason I kept putting it off. Had I known how decadently delicious these Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies would be, I wouldn't have procrastinated for so long. Like the magnificent landscapes out west, these cookies will take your breath away.
Months back I stopped at Stephanie Izard's Sugargoat Bakery in Chicago to buy some cupcakes and cookies. While they all had varying wow factor levels, there was a chocolate cookie I feel madly in love with. As luck would have it (or when you put something out in the universe and the universe is listening) one of my friends actually had it. And as luck would have it, she shared top chef winner, cookbook author, restaurant owner Stephanie Izard's recipe for Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with me. At the time I looked over the ingredients for the recipe, there were two things holding me back: going out to get a jar of her 'this little goat when to Belize hearty and bright spice mix' and trying to wrap my head around how a spice mixture made of savory garlic, onion, smoky paprika, and chilies could be responsible for creating a rich, intensely chocolatey, mouthwatering cookie. Let's just say getting the jar of spice was easier than reconciling my spice-challenged imagination.
Made with only seven ingredients, these Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are the kind causing a chocolate lover to become weak in the knees. They are dense yet moist, decadent, rich, and perfectly spiced. The recipe makes somewhere between 14-16 cookies and takes somewhere around 40 minutes to make from start to finish. And having a standing mixer with a whisk attachment will make whipping up the egg whites to firm (but not dry) peaks easier than whisking by hand.
Allowing the batter to rest for 7-10 minutes is key to enabling the dough to become 'scoopable'. Using an ice cream scoop (about 1 1/4" in diameter) makes forming the balls of dough a breeze. But if you don't have a metal ice cream scoop use a tablespoon to form golf balled size balls of dough. Note: The dough likes to stick to the ice cream scoop. If you run the ice cream scoop under hot water and dry it, the heat from the metal scoop will make scooping a little easier. But I used my fingers to release the dough from the scoop and it worked just fine.
Baking time for the cookies ranges from 12-14 minutes. The cookies will still be slightly soft in the center when you take them out of the oven, but they will firm up as you let them cool on the baking sheet. Note: Do not transfer the baked cookies to a cooking rack. Let them come to room temperature on the baking sheet.
The recipe called for rolling the balls of dough in confectionary sugar before putting them into the oven. I decided to sift even more confectionary sugar over them when they finished baking. Which means they look a little less crinkly, but I think the extra confectionary sugar made them slightly more delicious.
Chocolate Whoppers, a recipe from Maida Heatter, has been a long time favorite semi-flourless chocolate cookies. But these (truly) Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are definitely giving my death by chocolate cookie loving self a run for their money.
I often have friends asking me to make a gluten-free cookie. And until I made and devoured these Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies I never thought a gluten-free cookie could be as good as (or better than) a cookie with gluten. These cookies prove me wrong! If you are looking for a great cookie to serve for Passover, you definitely want to make these Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
Recipe
Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (inspired by Stephanie Izard's Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies)
Makes 14-16 good sized cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces/255g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla
2 3/4 cups (330g) confectionary sugar, divided
1/2 cup (50g) Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons This Little Goat Went to Belize spice (See Notes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two large, heavy bottomed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small-medium bowl, melt 1 cup (170g) of the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240g) confectionary sugar, cocoa powder, Kosher salt, and the This Little Goat Went to Believe spice. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the egg whites until firm peaks form. Beat in the vanilla until blended.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add in the dry ingredients until combined.
6. Mix in the melted chocolate chips. Blend until combined.
7. Add in the remaining half cup (85g) semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix using a spatula.
8. Allow the batter to rest for 7-10 minutes to allow it firm up slightly.
9. Use a 1 1/2 inch in diameter ice cream scoop or tablespoon to form golf ball sized balls of dough. Roll each ball of dough into the remaining 3/4 cup (90g) confectionary sugar.
10. Place balls of dough on prepared baking sheets, spacing at least one and a half inches apart.
11. Bake cookies until they puff up and are crackly on top (about 12-14 minutes). Allow the still slightly soft in the center cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Note: Start checking for doneness at the 12 minute mark as some ovens can run hot.
12. If desired, sift more confectionary sugar over the baked cookies.
Notes: (1) You can buy the Little Goat Went to Belize spice at many Whole Food stores, some grocery stores, or on Amazon. (2) I used Nestle Dark Chocolate (53% Cacao) Chocolate Chips. (3) Cookies remain delicious for several days if kept in an air-tight container.
Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons, Page, Arizona, March 2022
