“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea”

-Isak Dinesen

This is one of my mom’s favorite quotes, she uses it often and I always think of her when I run across it but I like to think that chocolate should be included as a cure-all. Having a bad day, PMS, happy, sad – chocolate covers all the bases. Even the smell or a little nibble can perk you right up.

I have never understood people who don’t like chocolate. To me that sounds just crazy but I am a self-admitting choc-a-holic, always have been, always will be and after all Valentine’s Day is the one holiday that promotes eating chocolate.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

4 egg whites

3 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

3 oz good quality dark chocolate, unsweetened and melted

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 tsp salt, kosher

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder and set aside.

Beat egg white to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high, about 2 minutes.

Add a third of the sugar mixture to egg whites, mixing on medium speed, about 30 seconds until just incorporated. Repeat two more times.

In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate in microwave. Let cool for a minute then slowly add to the batter, mixing on medium speed until just combined.

Gently fold in chocolate chips. At this point, the batter is very light almost like a mousse.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes:

These are a flourless chocolate cookie that I first discovered at Whole Foods. It probably took 5 attempts before I figured out a recipe that was close to the chewies at Whole Foods. I added espresso powder and dark chocolate for a richer cookie.

I found the espresso powder at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a great addition to any chocolate recipe, adding a richer taste to the chocolate.