Peter's Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are not Peter's. But Alex's dad requested that we call them Peter's Chocolate Cookies so that he could search his name on Google to find this delicious recipe, and we are kindly obliging. The recipe is actually from Epicurious, and it's absolutely the best chocolate cookie recipe we've ever tried. I wouldn't change the recipe a bit, and you can get a batch done in about 20 minutes.

The most amazing thing about these cookies is that they don't contain butter or flour, just chocolate and sugar. You'd think they'd end up like meringues, but they're actually incredibly fudgy and soft. Though we only found the recipe two weeks ago, we've already made them three times, including for Alex's graduation party. I loved when his great-aunt came up to us and said, "Three egg whites? No flour? These is my favorite cookie recipe."

Let's review: fudgy chocolate cookies, no flour or butter, easy to bake, unbelievable reviews. There's no reason not to make these immediately. We recommend preparing them somewhere where it's not excruciatingly hot so that the dough becomes nice and firm, and definitely recommend using Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips. I'll repost the recipe below, but it's close to an exact replica of the one you'll find here.

Ingredients:
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400, and spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl by microwaving for 30 seconds, then stirring, for about 2 minutes total. Cool slightly. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff). Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in bowl. Roll tbsps of dough into balls then roll balls in the sugar, coating thickly. Place dough balls on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool then serve.