Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies – Flourless Mocha Perfection (gluten and dairy free)

Utterly delicious Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies are fudgy, flourless mocha cookies that are naturally gluten free and also dairy free. Quick and easy to make, they are perfect for using up egg whites.

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Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies – Love at first bite

Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies are one of my all-time favourite cookies. Soft and chewy, rich and fudgy, meringue meets brownie with a crispy edge… All in one gorgeous coffee-infused chocolate cookie puddle.

I confess, the recipe is not a Gluten Free Alchemist one. It is adapted from a non-espresso version served at coffee break by Adriana Rabinovich when I attended a gluten free baking course some years back. In turn, the recipe sheet, references ‘101Cookbooks.com’… So, I guess it probably has a long history before it reached my greedy kitchen.

But wherever Puddle Cookies originate, they deserve all the shares. After just one bite, I was addicted to these scrumptious morsels. Risk them if you dare… Whether you choose to add Espresso or just go down the plain Chocolate Puddle Cookies route, I guarantee you will find love at first bite.

Are Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies easy to make?

I think so, yes! Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies really don’t require much baking skill whatsoever… They possibly need a little extra-oversight on timings to get them baked to chewy-perfection (see below). But ultimately, if they are over-baked, the world won’t end and the cookies will still be delicious.

And even better… A batch can literally be created in under an hour (including the nut grinding). All you need is some basic equipment, an oven and the patience to let them cool enough to handle before devouring them.

‘Puddles’ are Flourless Cookies, which makes them naturally gluten free

Because chocolate ‘Puddles’ (as they are affectionately known here) are flourless cookies, they are naturally gluten free. No need to worry about sourcing gluten free flour or flour-blending, they instead use a combination of ground nuts and cocoa to work their cookie magic. Of course, that does mean you need to find either ground nuts or grind them in a blender… But to be honest, they whizz down to a nut ‘meal’ in seconds, so it’s no hardship.

The recipe shared uses toasted ground walnuts, which provide an amazing earthy nuttiness which marries perfectly against the chocolate and coffee, but I reckon that walnuts could be easily substituted for an alternative toasted nut-meal of choice.

Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies are also dairy free

In addition to being gluten free, Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies are naturally dairy free. They contain no milk or butter, but take any oil required from their walnut-base. And the chocolate is derived from cocoa powder too… So, no need to source dairy free chocolate either.

This does mean however that they are not either nut free or vegan… Their magic results from the use of egg whites which are whisked to a light froth (a non-electric hand-held whisk is all you need)… Once baked, the resulting texture is both light and chewy.

Mocha Cookies – a perfect recipe for using up left-over egg whites

It’s always a good idea to have a few recipes in the repertoire to use up left-over egg whites. I’m never too sure where all the yolks go, but egg whites seem to be frequent visitors. Either way, these chocolate-coffee (aka Mocha) Puddle Cookies are ideal… especially if you are unsure just how ‘pure’ your whites are.

While many egg-white recipes (such as Meringues and Macaron and even Angel Food Cake) require egg whites that have no taint of either egg yolk or grease, these cookies will take a bit of ‘contamination’. So, if you need a recipe to use up whites after an accidental ‘yolk-breaking accident’, these are ideal.

Baking Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies to chewy-fudgy perfection… Know your oven!

Heads-up. Having made (and eaten) Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies more times than I dare to admit, they do require a little experience to get baked to perfection… That’s not really baking experience per se… More Chocolate Puddle Cookie experience.

Baked too long and they will be overly-crisp and crunchy… And baked too little, they will be too soft and fragile on lifting from the tray. To be fair, both ‘mistakes’ are still delicious, if not the intended result. So, what are we aiming for?

Cooked precisely, they are a little crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy, slightly gooey interior… A cookie that induces the sort of blissful enjoyment you never want interrupted. The darkness of the chocolate should fill your nose with a pungent aroma. And the flavour should be deep with sweet cocoa, infused with a hint of espresso bitterness and earthy nuttiness as it spreads across the taste buds.

Believe me, it’s worth working on perfection! You just need to know your oven and keep an eye on baking progress…

How do I know when Puddle Cookies are baked to perfection?

A perfectly baked Puddle Cookie should look glossy on the surface with a slight crackle. But you have the opportunity to double-check readiness as follows…

When you think they are ready (and not ‘over-ready’), take them from the oven, but leave them on the hot baking trays. Then… As they start to cool, gently lift a cookie or two from the base with a palette/flat knife. If they stick and are difficult to remove, they aren’t quite done… Pop them back in the oven and let them cook for a minute or two longer.

Can I make Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies without the coffee?

If you prefer your Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies without caffeine, that’s fine. Either make them using Instant Decaffeinated coffee (Nescafe do a good option) or just leave out the coffee from the recipe.  

But while we’re on the subject of coffee… Don’t be tempted to use anything other than instant coffee for this recipe… It needs to be able to dissolve into the mixture completely and without adding any liquid. And if you really truly want the experience of a ‘strong mocha’, be certain to use instant espresso coffee powder. I always use Nescafe Azera Instant Espresso (from the supermarket) as it packs a great punch in baking without any graininess.

Ready to make Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies?

Have I tempted you to make some Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies? Or even just Chocolate Puddle Cookies? I hope so. Because they are sublime and ridiculously moreish.

If you make them, leave a comment to tell me all about it… Even better, rate the recipe… Or pile them high, grab your phone and tag me on social media with photos of how they turned out. If there’s one thing that makes me happier than mocha cookies, it’s seeing other people enjoying them too. You’ll find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

And for everything else, head over to our deliciously tempting Gluten Free Recipe Index… So much inspiration and it’s all shared for FREE, with my love.

Other Cookies you might like on Gluten Free Alcheist

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies

Utterly delicious Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies are fudgy, flourless mocha cookies that are naturally gluten free and also dairy free. Quick and easy to make, they are perfect for using up egg whites too.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

walnut toasting & grinding25 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Biscuits & Cookies, Sweet Treats

Cuisine: American, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Keyword: chocolate, Coffee, cookies, espresso, mocha

Servings: 28

Calories per serving: 107.3kcal

Author: Gluten Free Alchemist (Kate Dowse) adapted from a recipe from 101cookbooks and Adriana Rabinovich

Key equipment

• Kitchen scales
• measuring spoons
• baking trays
• Oven
• grinder/blender
• baking paper
• Mixing bowls
• whisk (hand or electric)
• Large mixing spoon or spatula

Ingredients 

0.33x0.5x0.66x1x2x

MetricUS Customary

• 235 g walnuts (toasted weight) toasted, cooled and rough ground (using a blender) – To allow for drying, toast about 260g raw, shelled walnuts.
• 325 g icing sugar (powdered or confectioners sugar)
• 45 g cocoa powder
• 10 g INSTANT espresso powder
• large pinch fine sea salt
• 3 large egg whites UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preparing the toasted ground walnuts (ahead of time)

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 C.
• Spread the shelled walnut pieces on a tray and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning.
• Once golden, remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Pop in a blender and grind to a coarse nut-meal. Be careful not to over-grind.

Making the Puddle Cookies

• Base-line about 3 baking trays with baking paper (or batch bake if you don't have enough trays).
• Pre-heat the oven to 175 C/325 F/Gas 3.
• Place the ground walnuts, icing sugar, cocoa, espresso powder and salt into a bowl/airtight container and mix/shake together until well-blended.
• Place the egg whites into a separate large bowl and whisk lightly until slightly frothy.
• Add the dry ingredients and the vanilla to the egg whites and beat together with a wooden/silicon spoon until the mixture comes together evenly.
• Leaving plenty of space between each for spreading, place spoonfuls of the cookie batter onto the baking trays.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies should look glossy and slightly cracked on the top when done.
• Remove from the oven when baked. As they start to cool, gently lift the bases from the baking paper. If they are difficult to remove, pop them back in the oven and cook for a minute or two longer. (You want to get the baking just right… If you over-bake them they will be too crisp. A perfectly-baked puddle should be crisp on the outside with a fudgy middle).

Notes

* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.

Nutrition

Calories: 107.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Sodium: 6.2mg | Potassium: 79.9mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 11.7g | Vitamin A: 1.7IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 11.2mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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© 2019-2021 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist

Chocolate Espresso Puddle Cookies shared with

• Cook Blog Share Week 23 2021 with Sew White
• Blogger’s Pit Stop #272
• Full Plate Thursday #538 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
• Sundays on Silverado #43 with The House on Silverado

Previously shared with – We Should Cocoa with Tin and Thyme; Bake Of The Week with Casa Costello and Mummy Mishaps; What’s For Dinner Sunday Link Up with The Lazy Gastronome; Fiesta Friday with Angie and Spades, Spatulas & Spoons