Since I came up with the 5 ingredients | 10 minutes idea for simple recipes, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to include some sweet treats under the banner.
But when it comes to baking, there are very few things that can be made in less than a quarter of an hour for the baking part, let alone the mixing and prep work.
So after further consideration I’ve decided to let go of the time limit for baked treats. To keep things simple we’ll stick to the 5 ingredients – and I’ll promise to keep the equipment and cooking times to a minimum.
And do I have a treat for you today – something I discovered via the lovely Heidi over at 101 cookbooks. She calls them ‘puddle cookies’ and the name alone is enough to fall in love with.
After overcoming my cocoa powder snobbery recently with my cocoa brownies, I got quite excited about these cookies. They’re light and crispy on the outside and gooey chocolatey goodness on the inside. With nuts for crunch and bound with just egg whites they’re a perfect way to use up leftover egg whites if you happen to have an ice cream making addiction.
With only 5 ingredients and a straight forward method that requires nothing more than a bowl and a spoon for stirring – we’re talking simple as well.
Oh and did I mention that they’re gluten AND dairy free? My dear old Dad couldn’t get enough.
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[5 ingredients | simple baking]
puddle cookies
makes about 9 giant cookies
Inspired by Heidi from 101 cookbooks.
I made mine generously giant sized like Heidi – if you’d prefer a more modest cookie, by all means use smaller spoonfuls.
It judt occurred to me that if you were cooking for someone with nut allergies OR a die heard chocoholic – you could turn these into double choc puddle cookies by substituting in chocolate chips for the nuts. mmm.
155g (5oz or 1 1/2C) roasted & chopped nuts – I used hazelnuts
225g (9oz or 2C) icing (powdered or confectioners) sugar
30g (1oz or 1/3C) cocoa powder
1t vanilla extract
2 egg whites
Preheat oven to 160C (320F).
Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
Spoon into 2 tablespoon piles on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Leave heaps of space between – they’re really going to spread.
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until they have puffed up and cracked on top. Cool on the tray.
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on breadshoes – a review of tetsuyas and your chance to win dinner and a masterclass with the man himself.
I’m ahead in my quest to read 26 books this year. Even thinking of upping it to 50 books. To check on my progress have a look at my now reading page.
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Torture! I’m having an afternoon slump at the computer and I just want to eat one of these right off the screen!
these look so good…just the way I like my cookies …. flaky on top, moist in the middle!
They look so good Jules! And so little ingredients! Love ‘em!
These cookies look like a winner. Quick, easy, cheap, without looking like it. And I’m always on the lookout for nice ways to use leftover egg whites. Thanks very much for these recipes, they’re all great. Keep’em coming.
My ice cream maker has definitely turned me into an ice cream addict. And looking at these cookies, I think they’d be amazing sandwiched with some home made vanilla ice cream, yum!
Way to go! These look brilliant. I don’t think I should try cooking them as I’m scared of getting addicted to the chocolate gooey goodness.
So going to make these as soon as I get a chance!
When I saw this come through my feed reader I thought “there’s no way these are gluten-free, that would make my life way too easy” (My husband is both the cookie monster AND has celiac’s. We are CONSTANTLY searching for the perfect cookie recipe. Well, by “we” I mean “me” :) When I clicked through and saw that they were gluten free, I just about fell out of my chair. These are so amazing looking. I can’t wait to surprise my husband with these. FANTASTIC!!! Are they “chewy”?
These look wonderful…I know what’s for dessert tonight. Thanks!
They look and sound amazingly good!
I have a dairy free friend who had a baby recently and baking for her is somewhat tricky so hooray for these – will try them this weekend! Plus anything that uses up eggwhites and isn’t meringue is a winner, much as I love meringues. And yes, I may just feel inclined to make a batch for me with real chocolate chips in too.. just to test them you understand!
I’ve just made them – I have to take a plate to a supper dance tomorrow night, don’t know if there’ll be any left though. They are SUPER SIMPLE and TOTALLY, decadently delicious.
Forgot to say – I used walnut pieces in mine as they are pretty cheap – and I didn’t roast them. They are still fantastic!!!!!!!!
yay denise
glad you liked them. I think they would work with any nuts
claire
my dad is dairy, gluten and egg free – and he loves sweet things so I’m hearing you. do let us know how the choc chip version goes
thanks nancy & spice and more
hi tracy
yep they’re chewy in the middle but light and crisp on the outside – the perfect combo
thanks reem
mark – you can’t go through life being afraid of a chocolate addiction – you’ve just got to embrace it!
heather
I was thinking the same – icecream and these cookies would be seriously amazing
pleasure adele
thanks peter & beth
tresna
the dreaded afternoon slump – hope you made it through ok
In the baking class I’m taking, we regularly make a cookie exactly like this, with the very same ingredients! They’re just delicious, and wonderfully cripsy-chewy. It is amazing that they contain no fat and no flour.
we made cookies that are similar last week: http://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/45991/. my boyfriend’s new favorite; he couldn’t stop raving. in his defense, they ARE fantastic.
cheers,
*heather*
They look so delicious! My husband was looking keenly at them too. Just looking through your blog- beautiful photos.
They look great – is it the Payard recipe? They’re definitely not dairy free with those egg whites though!
I have been looking for this recipe forever….I didn’t know these cookies were called puddle cookies. Thank you for sharing!
Cheers,
JD
Oh, that thin outer shell teasing you about the chewy middle, these look like a delight in textures.
OK, so my cookies don’t look much like yours.. I did two types – one with hazelnuts and one with chocolate chips and both sorts kind of separated.. in that the bottom was kind of crispy and the top didn’t crack but was crisp.. anyway I found the cookies too rich (and I made them about half the size of yours) but the kids loved them. The ones with chocolate in them were a bit smoother in the way that they cooked and the ones with hazelnuts had a nicer crunch. Not sure which I prefered but I’d probably play with the recipe and cook them at a slightly lower temperature if I made them again so that they were slightly less crispy and a bit more chewy. Interesting is my verdict but I’m not sold. Yet.
wow, they look fabulous and so simple!
Just discovered your site! beautiful photos and I love these cookies, I could eat them on a daily basis, that’s for sure, especially if I added a good pinch of Aleppo pepper in the batter.
thanks beiruit – yes aleppo pepper would be lovely – a different take on chilli chocolate
thanks peasepudding
thanks for the feedback claire – sorry you didn’t have the best cookie experience. if the top didn’t crack – it actually sounds like the oven temp was too low and that they got cooked for too long. if it was hotter and quicker you’d get more expansion in the heat which leads to cracking when it cools down and it also means the outside is light and crisp but the inside is still chewy. really appreciate you letting me know. and good to know that the choc chip version is lacking in crunch – I might try and choc chip + nuts to get the best of both worlds
conor – delight is the word!
pleasure JD
hi allie
not familiar with payard -as I said – I found them via 101 cookbooks.
I’m not sure what you mean about the cookies containing dairy – I’ve always thought that ‘dairy’ products were milk based from cows, goats, sheep etc and that eggs & chickens are a completely different area??
thanks cityhippyfarmgirl
glad your boyfriend was impressed heather – thanks for sharing
jane – I know, I know. your baking class sounds fun
I will try again then Jules with a hotter temp and see if it works. I have a slightly temperamental oven so I have to judge temps somewhat when baking – ’scuse the pun, – the kids insisted on having the “big yummy cookies” in their lunchboxes today so it wasn’t a total bust. And I think the combination of chocolate AND nuts is the way to go unless we’re catering for those with allergies! But then, when is chocolate and nuts bad..
swoon.
I made these this weekend… didn’t have any baking paper so I decided to use tin foil…not good. I had to eat them with a spoon because they wouldn’t come off. Going to try again with baking paper. Still tasted great though!
oh my.. these looks so good.. i’m drooling..
I just made these to bring to my 4-hr performance class tomorrow (clearly actors need chocolate to keep them going for that long!) and shared one with my housemate to “test” – so. Good. Seriously. They’re perfectly crackly on the top and gooey in the middle. Awesome. I managed to squeeze a baker’s dozen out of the amounts here, and boy do they spread, so I don’t think it’d be unreasonable asking a couple of people to share tomorrow so that all 16 in the class can try some!
Thanks for the recipe – definitely a keeper! x
PS: I substituted a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for the nuts, because I wasn’t sure who had nut allergies, but I’ve just made some caramelised pecans which I’ll be chopping up and throwing in next time! x
These look so great. Hazelnut-ty chocolately goodness. Yum. Plus you make it so so easy. I absolutely love that you are doing the five ingredient thing – you can bet I’ll be back again and again. I’m so in love with the Haagendaz Five ice cream you will never find me saying five ingredients are not enough. (I included your recipe in this week’s blog round-up, my first http://www.consumablejoy.com/2010/03/foodblog-a-round-week-of-2010-03-15/)
i made these this morning. it’s amazing that something so simple to make can taste so good. it’s just how i like my biscuits – crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. i am looking forward to trying endless variations with nuts, chocolate chips, alcohol soaked dried fruit and maybe praline.
Jules, I made these tonight and they are divine! Fabulous, thank you so much for the recipe!
Bonjour,
I just discovered your blog yesterday, and, as I am a GREAT food-lover, I think it is very inspiring. While reading your tips and recipes, I feel like cooking everything immediatly. The only problem I find is the mesurements… I can manage to work with oz, but there is still a mystery: «1t vanilla extract» or «1/2C pesto». What do t or c mean? As a french canadian that uses cup as mesurement (one cup = 8 oz), i really don’t understand. In french cup=tasse, so for me, the t means 8oz.
Thanks for the help and, mostly, thanks for this extraordinary blog, wich gained access to my eternal respect.
Have a good day,
Myriam :)
(Oh, and sorry for my poor english, but at least… I try!)
bonjour myriam
apologies for being a little unclear – 1C = 1 cup and 1T = 1 Tablespoon
1t = teaspoon.
hope that helps
cheers
jules
Hi,
I would like to make this…but am just a little confused on one thing. Is this really all u need. I mean no milk or any liquid? So when u place mixture on the baking sheet…its basically a powdery substance? Any help appreciated.
hi brainysmurf – great name
yes this is all you need – the egg whites provide the liquid so it’s like a wet mix with nut chunks through it. they’re really good.
Wow! What a wonderful recipe – I must try this one out :)
These look scrumptious! And so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
A few of mine stuck to the baking paper and had to be scraped off with a knife, right into my mouth, mind you. And they sort of fell apart. Not all, but most. Thinking maybe I undercooked them. They were fractionally too sweet for me, though don’t know how you get around that as I don’t think you could cut back on the icing sugar. They were yummy and chewy though and I will try cooking them a bit longer to see if this makes them come off the baking paper more easily.
Amazing and surprising! Need to try them soon.
wow these look great! and only 5 ingreds! (i have a lot of walnuts to use up so i might use them hehe)
I just made a batch of these, with chopped dark chocolate instead of nuts, and I substituted a tablespoon of brewed coffee for the vanilla. The coffee really adds depth and cuts through the sweetness of all that icing sugar. Nom nom nom!