Dark Chocolate Flourless Crinkle CookiesVegan, Gluten Free And Made With Aquafaba

Make these dark chocolate crinkle cookies for your Valentine!

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Do you have a Gluten Free Valentine?
Are you looking for a special Valentine's day treat that is vegan and gluten free? Well, here's a popular chocolate crinkle cookie with a special twist. Besides being flourless, it's made with meringue produced from aquafaba instead of egg whites!

What's Aquafaba?
Aquafaba has been all the rage in the vegan community. It's basically bean juice. You know, the stuff that you usually throw out when you open a can of beans. It's a great egg white replacer and whips up to make a beautiful, white and fluffy meringue. The first time you make it, it will blow your mind!

When you drain a can of beans, save the juice! 

I have just started experimenting with this so you will be seeing more recipes as I continue my experimentation. But for today, I want to share this decadent cookie recipe in time for Valentine's day. Not my healthiest recipe, but it's a special treat for those of you who love chocolate, fudge-like cookies but avoid dairy, eggs, and gluten. 

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Dark Chocolate Flourless Crinkle Cookies
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
[makes 2 dozen cookies]

Ingredients
Oil for greasing cookie sheets if not using silicon baking mats
1 1/2 cups dark vegan chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of garbanzo bean juice
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets. Not necessary if using Silpat non-stick silicon baking mats.

Place 1 cup of chocolate chips in a small microwavable bowl (DO NOT ADD WATER). Microwave on the lowest setting for about 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave in increments of 10 to 15 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler which is a lot more trouble but it's a good alternative for those of you without microwave ovens. Make sure the chocolate does not come in contact with water or steam. 

After the chocolate has melted, set it aside to cool for about 12 to 15 minutes. If it's too hot when you stir it into your cookie mixture later on, it will melt the rest of the chocolate chips that you will be adding to the cookie dough.

Drain a 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans, reserving the juice (you should get enough to make this recipe) - measure out 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon. Add the garbanzo bean juice to a medium glass or metal bowl along with the cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until it forms peaks. Slowly beat in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until you have pretty firm peaks. 

Can you believe this is bean juice?

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Using the electric beater on low speed, beat this mixture into the meringue. Once combined, beat in the lukewarm chocolate and then the chocolate chips. 

Once combined, the cookie dough should be stiff. If not, place it in the refrigerator for a bit.

The cookie dough should be stiff.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a cup or small bowl. Drop 1 tablespoon of  dough into the powdered sugar and roll it around until it forms a ball. Repeat until all the dough is used up. It should make about 24 balls.

Place each ball on your prepared cookie sheet. The cookies will spread so place them 2 1/2 inches apart.

I eventually put a dozen on each large baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies flatten and the tops crack, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack until completely cooled. 

Once cooled, enjoy them lovingly with your Valentine! 

They store well in an air-sealed container in the refrigerator.

Because of the fudge-like texture of the cookie, it's hard to judge when they are cooked. If you find that they are too soft after they have cooled, you can just pop them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. 

Nutritional Information
Per cookie: 79 calories, 2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 29 mg sodium.

Learn more about aquafaba on the Aquafaba Website!

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