These Chocolate Souffle Cookies are a chocoholic’s dream. With just six ingredients, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Crunchy on the outside with soft centers, they will disappear in no time if you’re not careful.
This is one recipe where using a heavy-duty stand mixer will make a huge difference. You are basically making a meringue which takes a lot of whipping of egg whites and sugar. A stand mixer makes this easy because you can walk away while it is doing all the work!
Cream of tartar is one of the ingredients you need to have in your arsenal. It is an acidic salt that helps stabilize egg whites when whipping them, prevents the sugar from crystallizing, and is a leavening agent, helping the egg whites reach their full volume. Expect to see it called for when you are making a meringue, angel food cake, or soufflé.
Chocolate cookies are really easy to over-bake because you can’t tell when they are “browned” and done. The trick is to keep an eagle eye on them while they are in the oven and pull them when they are firm on the outside but still soft in the center when very gently touched.
If you love chocolate as much as I do, you need to get to know Alice Medrich, the undisputed Queen of chocolate and a lovely lady. Alice owned a chain of chocolate shops in the San Francisco Bay Area called Cocolat and then decided that she wanted to share her knowledge with others by developing recipes for major corporations and writing award-winning cookbooks.
If you ever have the opportunity, take a class from Alice. I learn something new every time I get to join her class. And her books are truly incredible. “Bittersweet” and “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies” are just two of her incredible books. Look her up and buy a copy of a couple of them – each one is a master class in working with chocolate!
With only six ingredients, you want to use the best quality you can afford because they will each shine in the final product. Most are pantry items you likely already have!
If you are new to whipping egg whites, here is a video that will give you techniques and help you figure out when the whites are stiff enough for this recipe. And once they are whipped, here is another video that will show you how to fold ingredients together, in this case you will fold the chocolate and nuts into the beaten whites.
I used a 2 teaspoon cookie scoop to portion my dough and wound up with 30 cookies. They did not spread much but did puff up. If you use a 1 teaspoon scoop or two spoons, you will get closer to 40 cookies. You can easily double this recipe if you want to make a larger batch.
Note that these cookies are best on the day they are made – so gather a crew to help you eat them when you bake!!
Give these Chocolate Souffle Cookies a try soon, they are worth it! I bet you put them into your regular rotation and they may even make an appearance on your holiday table!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Chocolate Souffle Cookies:
- Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- Egg whites, at room temperature
- Cream of tartar
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Finely chopped pecans
How to Fold Ingredients into Beaten Egg Whites?
In this recipe you will be folding the melted chocolate and chopped nuts into beaten egg whites. If you’ve never folded anything into a batter or egg whites, it isn’t hard but it takes a little practice to get comfortable with the motion. Your goal is to evenly combine the ingredients without deflating the whipped egg whites.
You start by using a spatula to cut down the center of the whites to the bottom of the bowl and drag what was on the bottom up to the top. When you cut down the middle, you are taking some of the chocolate from the top and moving it through the whites. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat the action cutting down and folding the whites from the bottom of the bowl up to the top. Keep working until there are no more streaks and everything is evenly combined. Here is a video to help you.
How to make Chocolate Souffle Cookies:
- Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool; beat the egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks
- With the beaters running, gradually and slowly add the vanilla and sugar, beating to stiff peaks; pour the nuts and melted chocolate over the top of the egg whites and gently fold them in until there are no white streaks and the mixture is uniformly colored
- Immediately drop teaspoons of the batter onto parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets and bake at 350°F until the cookies are shiny and cracked, 10 to 12 minutes; they should be firm on the outside and gooey inside when pressed gently
- Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to cooling racks and cool completely
- Best eaten the day they are made, they will last 2 to 3 days in an airtight container
PRO Tip:
Be very careful when you are separating the egg whites from the yolks. Even a tiny spec of yolk will cause the whites to under whip and take much longer to reach their full volume. More than a tiny bit and they won’t whip at all. Be as careful as you can when separating for the best results.
What is Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar is an acidic salt that helps stabilize egg whites when whipping them, prevents the sugar from crystallizing, and is a leavening agent, helping the egg whites reach their full volume. You will find it in the spice/herb aisle, possibly near the baking soda. Ask if you don’t see it.
PRO Tip:
Here is a video to show you how to know when you’ve reached the perfect texture when whipping egg whites, in this case stiff peaks.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper sheets or Silpats
- Stand mixer
- Large spatula
- Cookie scoop
Gluten-Free Tips:
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Chocolate Souffle Cookies (Gluten Free)
These Chocolate Soufflé Cookies are a chocoholic's dream. With just six ingredients, they are a cinch to pull together. Use the best ingredients you can afford because each one will shine in this recipe. Crunchy on the outside with soft centers, they will disappear in no time if you're not careful.
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 large (70g) egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (86g) finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Position oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment or Silpats.
- Using your microwave or a bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
- Using a mixer and an impeccably clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Mix in the vanilla. With the beaters running, gradually add the sugar beating until the egg whites hold stiff peaks but don’t look dry. Each machine is different and times will vary.
- Pour the nuts and melted chocolate over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture with a large rubber spatula, trying not to deflate the whites, until most of the streaks are gone. Immediately drop level measuring teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 1-1/2 inches between the cookies.
- Bake until the cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 10 to 12 minutes; they should be firm on the outside but still soft inside. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks and let cool completely.
- They may collapse a little on top after baking, but are just as delicious! The cookies are best eaten on the day they’re baked but will last two to three days if stored in an airtight container.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
Adapted slightly from an Alice Medrich recipe for Fine Cooking, Winter 2004
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 60Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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