Although I have occasional sugar indulgences, I actually don’t eat many sweets and mostly stick to savory dishes in the kitchen. However, Dale was craving these cookies, so what’s a girl to do?
We watch a lot of cooking shows on TV, and you often hear people say, “It’s to die for.” Dale says you shouldn’t have to die for good food. Better to say, “It’s to kill for.” Although neither one of us is a killer, these cookies might inspire greedy but non-violent behavior.
What I love about these cookies is they are so pure. I think of them as the health food of cookies. No flour, no oil, no butter. Mostly just chocolate, nuts, egg whites and sugar. The egg whites form a slightly crispy crust, and the inside is deliciously gooey.
You can use plain old Hershey’s Cocoa, which is perfectly yummy, but I like to mix it about half and half with cacao powder. I think it makes for a richer tasting cookie. The original recipe calls for crushing the chocolate much as you would the walnuts, but I have had no luck at all in the chocolate chopping department. Whole chips work fine.
I tell friends who crave sweets to always go for the absolute best. Don’t eat chocolate pudding from the cafeteria (I’m talking to you, Monica) or some stupid cookie from a package. Focus on eating the real deal, and usually the real deal is hard to find or hard to make, so you don’t have it as often and you end up appreciating it more.
This advice applies to a lot of foods, including french fries. Make them from scratch, and you won’t get fat eating french fries. Which reminds me of Dale’s secret fantasy. No, nothing like that. If he had an unlimited supply of money, he would have an outdoor deep fryer and a cleaning service to keep the oil fresh. That’s my guy!
This recipe is inspired by the original from Jacque Torres. A special thanks to Linda at Retired Introvert, who turned me onto this recipe plug-in.
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups Cocoa Powder I like to mix regular cocoa powder with cacao powder about half and half.
- 4 1/4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/3 cups Dark Chocolate Chips I like Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips (63% cacao)
- 1 cup Walnuts
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 Egg Whites Use large eggs NOT extra large or jumbo.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top and spray again with cooking spray.
- Put walnuts in a sealed plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin until crumbs. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the Cocoa Powder, Powdered Sugar and Salt until there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, and stir in Egg Whites, Vanilla, Chocolate Chips and Walnuts. Mix until combined. The dough is very stiff.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop dough and drop onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the cookie sheet.
- Store in the refrigerator.