If you are celiac, suffer from gluten intolerance or just want to eat some tasty flourless cookies, in this article you will find some mouth-watering recipes! Instead of replacing classic flour with gluten-free or other types of flour, try some recipes that don't include this ingredient at all. Flourless biscuits are characterized by an intense flavor and often have a chewy or crunchy texture, as egg white is used as a binder during preparation. Try the double chocolate and pecan biscuits or meringues - they are a real treat!
Ingrediants
Double Chocolate and Pecan Nut Biscuits
- 150 g of dark chocolate
- 1 ½ cup pecans (or any other type of dried fruit)
- 3 cups (330 g) of powdered sugar
- ¾ cup (90 g) of Dutch cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon of coarse salt
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
meringues
- 3 large egg whites (90 g) at room temperature
- 1 g of cream of tartar
- 150 g of extra-fine sugar
- 1 ml of an extract of your choice
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Flour-Free Recipe Ideas
Step 1. Replace the flour with nuts or oats
Flour has binding power. For the same effect, replace it with chopped dried fruit (such as pecans, macadamia nuts, or common walnuts) or oat flakes. These ingredients will have a binding function and will ensure that the cookies remain compact during cooking.
- You can make oatmeal and chocolate cookies that don't require baking or almond cookies.
- You could also make cookies using ground nut flour or wheat germ.
Step 2. Prepare the cookies using egg whites
Beat them and use them to bind the other ingredients. Egg whites give consistency to biscuits, and can also make them crumbly and crunchy on the outside. Meringues and macarons are good examples of flourless desserts made with egg whites.
You could also make mini pavloves, similar to small meringues. Fill them with fresh fruit, dried fruit or chocolate: it is a simple dessert to prepare and without flour
Step 3. Try an alternative flour
If you want to replace the classic all-purpose flour with a product that has undergone fewer treatments, you need to know that you have a wide choice. To replace a cup of all-purpose flour, use one of the following ingredients:
- 120 g of coarse corn flour.
- 120 g of rice flour.
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal.
Method 2 of 3: Flourless Double Chocolate Pecan Biscuits
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C
Line the pan with parchment paper so the cookies won't stick to the bottom and will be easier to remove.
If you have trouble getting parchment paper to stick, grease the bottom of the pan with oil or cooking spray before coating it
Step 2. Break up the chocolate and pecans
On a large cutting board, place 150 g of dark chocolate and 1 1/2 cups pecans (or other nuts). Carefully cut them to a size similar to the chocolate chips and set aside.
If you don't want to chop them by hand, you can use a food processor, but try not to grind them into powder
Step 3. Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, pour 3 cups (330g) of powdered sugar, ¾ cup (90g) of Dutch cocoa powder and ½ teaspoon of coarse salt. Beat the dry ingredients until the lumps are eliminated and the cocoa is evenly distributed.
Once mixed well, the dry ingredients will turn a uniform light brown
Step 4. Break the eggs
On the work surface, prepare 2 bowls and the eggs at room temperature. Break them and separate the yolk from the white. Pour the egg white into one bowl and the yolk into the other. Repeat the process with all the eggs.
Since you only need the egg whites, the yolks can be covered and stored in the fridge for another recipe (such as lemon custard, crème brûlée, or custard)
Step 5. Mix the ingredients
Pour the egg whites into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat them well with a whisk. The dry ingredients will dissolve, so you will get a thick, dark-colored dough. Add the nuts and chopped chocolate.
If the dough gets too thick, you can incorporate the dried fruit and chopped chocolate by mixing with a rubber spatula. Check the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no flour or cocoa residues left
Step 6. Place the dough on the baking sheet and put it in the oven
With the help of a teaspoon or an ice cream portioner, gradually take the dough and place it on the pan forming a biscuit. Leave 8 cm of space between one biscuit and another, remember that they will expand during cooking. Bake for 25 minutes. The cookies will be ready when they become crunchy and crumbly on the outside.
With this recipe, you'll get 12 flourless double chocolate and pecan cookies. You can keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Method 3 of 3: Meringues
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 95 ° C
Place the oven rack in the center. Adhere a sheet of parchment paper to the trays you will use to bake the cookies, this will make it easier to remove them when they are ready.
This temperature may seem low, but remember that cooking times are quite long
Step 2. Beat the egg whites
Pour 3 large egg whites into a mixer bowl or large bowl. Beat them on medium speed for 1 minute, until they start forming a froth and dense "snowflakes". If you want, you can add 1g of cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites and improve their texture (but it's optional, so don't worry if you don't have this ingredient).
- The bowl and whisks must be clean and free of grease. Check the egg whites to make sure there are no traces of yolk in the bowl, or they won't whip up well.
- Check to see if the egg whites have whipped well by lifting the whisk from the bowl. If dense and soft "snowflakes" have formed, you have done a good job.
Step 3. Add the extra-fine sugar
Turn the food processor back on at medium speed and add 150g of extra-fine sugar, incorporating 1 tablespoon at a time. If you beat the eggs as you slowly stir in, the sugar will dissolve into the egg whites.
If you gradually incorporate the sugar, the cookies will not become grainy
Step 4. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks
It must be shiny. Set the food processor to medium-high speed, then continue whisking the sugar-egg mixture. Pause it 1 or 2 times and scrape the sides of the bowl with a clean rubber spatula. Lift the whisk to observe the mixture: solid and shiny "snowflakes" should have formed.
Touch the mixture and rub it between your fingers. If it has a grainy texture, keep working it. When you no longer feel the sugar between your fingers, the meringue mixture will be ready to use
Step 5. Add any flavorings
If you want the meringue cookies to have a mild flavor, add 1ml of extract. Consider the use you will make of them and with which foods you will accompany them. Here are some of the most used extracts:
- Vanilla.
- Peppermint.
- Almonds.
- Lemon.
Step 6. Shape the meringues
Take 2 large spoons and place the piles of dough on the baking sheets that you lined with parchment paper. You can arrange them next to each other, as they won't expand much during cooking. Choose the size you want, just remember one thing: the bigger they are, the longer the cooking times will be.
If you want decorative meringues, make them using a pastry bag with a 1 cm spout
Step 7. Bake the meringues for 1 hour and a half, maximum 1 hour and 45 minutes
As they cook and dry, they take on a light color. Turn off the oven and open the door. Let them cool inside for several hours or overnight.
