Every year, I see Passover-friendly recipes that frighten me: brick-like honey cakes, “sponge” cakes that still haunt my mother (who receives these in lieu of birthday cakes most years, due to the misfortune of having a birthday that falls in the first week of April), dinner rolls that my father likens to “hockey pucks” and macaroons that nobody (besides me) likes. And every year, I wonder: what ever happened to impossible-to-hate flourless chocolate cakes and truffles? Desserts lifted with egg whites? Ground nuts instead of flour? Do people even realize that one of the best peanut butter cookies on earth has exactly no flour in it?
Well, you know what I say? This year in Dessert Epiphany. I promise to stop ranting from this point forward and instead use this post as a repository for the kinds of Passover desserts that you’d be proud to bring to dinner. And for those of you who do not celebrate Passover, fear not, matzo meal only shows up in one of these recipes, and even then, only nominally. (Forgive me, because I have never warmed to the flavor of the bread of affliction in an otherwise-excellent cake.) In short: you don’t need the reminder of 40 years in the dessert to find an excuse to make these, but if you ask me, it’s a good reason as any.
For example, did you know that Payard–yes, that Payard–makes a Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookie? It’s in his new book, Chocolate Ephiphany which New York Magazine gave us a preview of yesterday. I tried them out last night, and oh, an epiphany they were, and then some. I know what you’re thinking: just like chocolate meringues! Yet, they’re not–the egg whites are not whipped, just whisked with powdered sugar (a recipe for Passover-friendly powdered sugar is below) and really good cocoa, and the result is crispy but stretchy and very intensely chocolaty. Also, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and a one-bowl (plus a cutting board) recipe to boot. The recipe is at the end.
In the space between here and there, All My Favorite Passover Desserts:
Plus, let’s be realistic, the only Passover dessert you’ll ever need.
If you’ve made this before, you know the deal: don’t show up without it again. If you haven’t, well, why not? Do you dislike caramel and butter and salt and chocolate and crunch? No, you do not. Finally, if you’re reading this and it’s not Passover, go and make them tonight with Saltine-style crackers instead. You won’t regret a thing.
Chocolate-Walnut Cookies (Flourless)
If you strictly follow the rules of Passover, you might not use regularly powdered sugar because it has cornstarch in it. If you cannot find kosher-for-Passover powdered sugar, try making your own (thanks to an old Gourmet recipe): Grind 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon potato starch in an electric coffee or spice grinder until powdery. Yield: About 1/2 cup.
- 2 3/4 cups (285 grams or 10 ounces) walnut halves
- 3 cups (360 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (55 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- A few sea salt flakes to finish (if you wish)
Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 325 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioner’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen; we’re not trying to whip these egg whites as we would for a meringue).
Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds — I use a just-over-1-tablespoon, or #40 scoop. If you can spare the time, letting them rest at room temperature on their trays for 30 minutes (and up to 60), I find they get a taller dome in the oven, but it’s also fine to bake them right away.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Thanks for this Deb! I already had Pesach plans for the Sh*t cake, and Luisa’s cheesecake, I might have to add these cookies too! I’m assuming you think it would be ok to substitue almonds for the walnuts since we have an allergy int he family? And since there’s no leaving other than eggs non dutch cocoa should work too right? Thanks!
I’ve made the Lighter-Than-Air cake for my gluten-intolerant grandmother, and it was absolutely fantastic.
The Chocolate Covered Caramelized Matzo Crunch recipe is really similar to a cookie my family does at Christmas. Swap the Matzo for graham crackers and you got it. Sooo good.
I’m not Jewish and, as such, not intimately familiar with all the guidelines for passover compatible food…but from what I’ve read over the years, I think another option for a cheesecake crust is one made entirely from chopped nuts (choose your favority) with a little butter (margarine) and granulated sugar to hold it together (there is a recipe in the book “Joy of Cheesecake”, which I don’t have with me at the moment, of course). My favorite use of said nut crust is a chocolate cheesecake with a pecan nut crust, drizzled with homemade caramel sauce and toasted pecans (Basically, my take on a “Turtle Cheesecake”). Yummmm…
Nice! I’ve been eyeing an orange chocolate Passover cake in an old issue of Gourmet. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll make the Cheesecake! I’m have to admit, though, that one of my favorite Passover desserts is fresh fruit trifle made with the Manishevitz marble cake from a box (*hangs head in shame*). My best friend and I started making it a looooong time ago and haven’t been able to stop. It’s the only cake from a box that I’ve ever made… but it’s so good!
Thanks for the perfect addition to my Hope Chest (you know, the place where I box up all my dreams of my brilliant mensch of a husband whom I haven’t met yet).
Chance favors the prepared mind…and pantry.
Perfect! I’m going to my boyfriend’s mother’s for my very first Passover and was wanting to take something along. This is SO helpful! Thanks, Deb! :)
I have been reading your site for a while, and my boyfriend and I have made a few of the recipes you’ve posted. thank you for this list of recipes. we are going to make flourless chocolate cupcakes for seder on saturday, but i’m thinking we might also make one of the recipes you’ve linked.
the matzo crunch/crackle that’s been making its way around the web the last few weeks has always been a huge hit for both my mother and me in the past.
David’s chocolate etc matzo crunch is fabulous. I made it with the lightly salted matso, salted side down, and it was a huge hit with my bridge group. We’re not even Jewish, either! Just be sure you have a crowd present when you get it done; otherwise you will eat it all yourself. No kidding.
Is oatmeal ok? If so, the clasic “no bake” cookie might be one to add to the list.
I am SO with you on the dangers of the Matzo crunch. I have made this in the past with graham crackers and saltines and in both cases ended up unable to stop myself from having a piece everytine I walked by the kitchen :)
Thank you so much for posting all of those recipes. My mom (who is incharge of making Passover, both sedars every year) is alwasy looking for new recipes. I showed it to her maybe an hour ago, and she’s already made a test batch of the Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch. I’m sure everyone will love it and be excited to more/different deserts this year.
Thanks!!!
This isn’t a recipe but I found it while looking for things to do with matzoh — I’m passing the link on because I’m going to have my kids play it while I’m cooking! http://www.fyrebug.com/?p=5444 Thanks for the Caramelized Matzo Crunch recipe.
These all look amazing, as usual. I noticed in one of your comments to your matzoh ball soup post a few months ago that you said that adding baking soda to the matzoh balls would make it wildly unkosher for passover. I wanted to share this article from the times from last year, which is about that exact thing. Apparently many orthodox rabbis are declaring that baking soda is kosher for passover, since it is nothing more than a mineral. Baking powder is OK too. Here’s the article, it’s pretty interesting:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/dining/05leav.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Hope your holiday is wonderful! With all these delights I’m not sure how it could be anything less.
oh no! not 17 passover recipes! i just finished consuming the matzo crack in my fridge and now i have no choice but to make more tasty treats.
Those chocolate cookies look amazing, as does the flourless chocolate cake. Deb, I think you’ve done a great job persuading me to make some more sweet things this week!
looking forward to seeing your review of the cheesecake crust…as I am planning on making a cheesecake for next weekend (still passover)
thanks!
My absolute favorite of all time passover desert is a Chocolate Mousse recipe made with Olive Oil. I was completely weirded out the first time, but it seriously makes the best (and most dependable!) chocolate mousse of all time — I use it all year around! It’s also great for Seders, because it can be prepared days in advance. I highly recommend you try it out. I clipped the original recipe from the New York Times: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E7DD1330F93BA15750C0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Yay, deb, you kept your promise and then some! And I’m so excited for Payard’s book to come out…especially after seeing your success with this recipe!
I always make passover cheesecake. But I usually use macaroons instead of graham crackers for the crust. Grind them up in the food processor…works great every time! Thanks for all the fun ideas!
Thank you!! Must make those chocolate walnut cookies immediately.
i secretly (well not really because my whole family sees me) LOVE macaroons! i know they’re disgustingly sweet, and i’m not even a fan of coconut, but for some reason i can’t get enough of them. i mean, they only come around once a year, so what’s the big deal if i eat one, or two … or five of them? (besides how sick i feel afterwards!)
i am debating between a chocolate cake or a berry tart. that expletive cake sure does look purty!
I’ve made the maztoh crack candy a few times – it can be made pareve with margarine but it (like everything else) is SO MUCH BETTER with butter (and a little sprinkle of fleur de sel on top). This is an amazing list of desserts – thanks, Deb.
it’s soooooooooooo hard to be a jew when you’re a transplant living in the buckle of the bible belt….
i’ve not been to sedar in forever. but i can still recite the 4 questions!
With the price of flour going out of control, we all might have to learn to bake these to get our sweet tooth filled
I noticed a long time ago that all the commercial passover cake mixes have baking soda in them.
The prohibition on leavening at passover refers to fermented leavening (yeast) and since baking soda is a chemical (not fermentation) leavener it is acceptable for passover. There is inevitably some debate about this, but if baking soda is in a certified Kosher for Passover cake mix, that means that it is officially ok as certified by kosher authorities.
Yum!!!!!!!
Oh, EXCELLENT. Thanks so much for posting all of these! It never occurred to me to make cheesecake for Passover. Where I leave, you can even get kosher-for-passover store-bought crusts.
Two minor corrections – 40 years in the desert, not 40 days. Also, it starts on Saturday night, not Sunday night! :)
Those cookies look scrumptious. Really, they all look good – but I’m so drawn to the Expletive Cake – not just because of the name, although I admit it tickle me; but I think it reminds me of a gigantic Little Debbie – and I mean that in the best possible way. :)
Great list! Thank you so much for this! I am not an expert but I dont know if you can use peanuts on passover?? I should check into this because those cookies look fab if you can.. then again, Im serving brisket and probably shouldnt use butter but you can’t win ’em all…
;)
Happy Passover!
I love flourless chocolate cake. It’s really handy when there’s no flour in the house.
Have a good and scrumptious Passover!
I just made a batch of the matzoh crunch (I’ve been planning to for a couple of weeks now, actually)… Although it tastes great, I have a question. When I was taking the matzoh out of the oven, the caramel stuff was really bubbly, and thus, the bubbles harden as the chocolate melted. So when I went to spread the chocolate, it was really rough looking because the caramel bubbles “popped” so to speak and got mixed up in the chocolate… What should I do to have a smoother finish, like in your picture??
I made Payard’s cookies, and they were paper thin and floppy. :-(
Oh my gosh, I love flourless desserts, it makes them at least a “touch” more healthy. Absolutely delicious and excellent post, thanks!
– The Peanut Butter Boy
I was just curious what foods defined kosher? Love the list.
OMG cracker-crunch crack?!! that looks dangerous! a great collection of flourless sweets, for theologically-based purposes or not.
and maybe Alex would be happy with a compromise on my national dish, from Nigella? http://www.nigella.com/recipes/recipe.asp?article=211
wow, such delectable Passover treat ideas!! thanks, Deb!!
All of these recipes look delicious. I too am blessed with an April birthday but no-one has ever tried to force sponge cake upon me! I love the cookies particularly. I made some truffles at Christmas to give away as gifts but I ate so many myself and made myself so sick I haven’t been able to touch them since! I’ve lost my truffle mojo…..
There is something about a ‘flourless’ cake that makes me think it is more healthy when in reality we are just maing more room for the good stuff!
Great collection of holiday friendly desserts!
I would have chimed in with baklava, but then it hit me: the copious amount of butter. Doh!
WooHooo! Thanks Deb! I’m all over David’s candied matzoh, that looks incredible. *drools on keyboard*
I’m a huge fan of the Payard cookies, and tend to walk rather far out of my way if I’m anywhere close to the East 70s, in order to go buy myself one or seven. Once they were almost out, and the nice man behind the counter gave me the two he’d been saving for himself. I guess my look of abject despair and the little tears leaking out the corners of my eyes might have had something to do with it.
I’ve made them myself a few times, and they never come out quite the way the bakery does them, but they’re still very, very good.
A couple of years ago I made a fabulous chocolate raspberry pavlova, and lemon sabayon tart with pine-nut/matzo crust (delicious filling, ehh on the crust). This year I’m going to do a flourless chocolate Queen of Sheba cake (similar to Alice Medrich’s, but I’m going to substitute ground hazelnuts for ground almonds), and a flourless almond/orange cake drenched in mandarin syrup (Tamasin Day-Lewis’ recipe). I’m also somewhat swayed by a Nigella Lawson recipe for pistachio macaroons, and by the matzoh crunch, which I’ve read about on Marcy Goldman’s site and on David’s site. Strangely enough, I always look forward to Passover and making flourless desserts. I think maybe I like the challenge, and surprising my family with new desserts.
FYI, first nite of Passover is Sat, not Sunday. I have been making matzah ‘crack’ for years – b/c of this recipe we are never wanting for seder invitations! There is an excellent one on Epicurious for “Most Magnificent Caramel Matzah Crunch”. I sprinkle chopped toasted pecans or drizzle white chocolate. Keeps for days in tightly sealed container or fridge. No one can believe it’s matzah – I get requests every year. YUM!!
Did I say Sunday? Whoops, just a typo. Will fix now, also the 40 days thing. You all must think I have more time than I do to self-edit.
Jessica — Oh, that stinks. I agree that some spread a bit, but mine did get crisp at the edges. They’re not the prettiest, but we do find them tasty. If I make them again this weekend, I might whip the egg whites just a bit to see if I can get them more like the teasing picture in NYMag.
Julie! — I just got Alice Mendrich’s book and haven’t made anything out of it. I have to check that out.
As for what Kosher is and is not, one could write an encyclopedia on it–and if I even touch the topic, I’ll be flooded with comments and emails–so it is best to consult Google.
I just started reading your blog and love it. You inspire me to want to cook, but me and cooking do not see eye-to-eye. I love the pics.
You just made my Pesach. I have to say, I do like those Manischewitz brand million flavour macaroons, but living in Iowa this year, I can’t get a hold of them. Pavlova is a great idea. I love it and it’s *so* easy, plus fruit is just starting to get tasty-looking and affordable again.
Oh – also, peanuts are a legume, so they’re technically not kosher for passover.
Heh, well, you could also do a matzo-style tiramisu as well . . . which basically has the whipped cream/custard, layered coffee-soaked matzo crackers, and chocolate powder sifted on top. It is surprisingly delicious if one lets it sit long enough to meld the flavors together. I think my sister found the recipe at Cooking-for-Engineers website, but the idea is fairly simple in and of itself . . . .
Those are amazing ideas, Deb. I’m particularly drawn to the truffles. ;)
I made the Payard cookies a couple of months back (the recipe was in the December issue of Food & Wine I think) and I’m definitely making them again for Passover!
Is Passover like Easter? All desserts?
Hi Deb!
I must correct you regarding posting peanut butter cookies for passover. Peanuts are the only nut that are not Kosher for Passover. It’s considered Kitniyot, so it would only be acceptable for some Sephardic Jews, but not for Ashkenazy Jews. Oh well, I’ll be sure to try the recipe after Passover, though – wonder if I can use splenda to cut some calories, though?
I may not be Jewish, but I can still pretend can’t I? :)
I’ll do anything if it means I get to have the excuse of sugary goodness all around.
Happy Passover!
My favorite flourless cake is this one made with 12 ounces of chocolate and a half cup of honey. With good chocolate and local wildflower honey, it’s pure decadence. I let it sit out for about 24 hours after I make it, and it makes for one of the moistest, most flavorful cakes I’ve ever had.
(And, btw, the recipe lies. It makes closer to 15 servings)
We have that matzo candy every year at our seder, and it rarely (if ever) makes it until dessert. It’s THAT good. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy it, I always try to make some extra for my roomates, and they can’t get enough of it.
These look great, and I don’t even celebrate passover. I might want to make some and bring in extras for my boss, though :) You know what else would be good for passover? The black bean brownies that I made a few weeks ago after everyone started posting about them… (My recipe is up, with modifications.)
Jocelyn – no, it’s not a holiday devoted to deserts, but since there are two nights of holiday evening meals “seder” (only one night in Israel), it is customary to serve a dessert, and since no flour, or any form of beans or corn (including corn flour, corn syrup, etc), it makes making a dessert a bit difficult, so people are always on the lookout to make a light dessert with the restrictions involved. Hope that helped.
Karen – baking soda is KFP (Kosher for Passover)
I might have to drop some of these recipes around the kitchen since I’m living in a Jewish residential college and the food outlook doesn’t look too good. They did kitchen overhaul yesterday so we’re already keeping kosher for Passover. It’s going to be a long week unless I get some chocolate caramel matzo crunch…
(Also, do you know how Australian pavlova is? Had it my first day here.)
I will not passover those Payard’s goodies – I’ve been to his restaurant twice – and I still dream about it! He could bake spit and I’d eat it – thanks so much for this recipe – I’m going to make it tomorrow – as I’m feeling chocolate deprived.
We call it toffee matzoh and yes, it’s like crack!
Thanks for all the ideas though our seder is already very heavy heavy on the sweets. There’s no such thing as too much dessert!
Clever, and they all look absolutely sublime!
Deb, the ideas look great = but the REAL challange is not finding flourless desserts, but rather having them dairy-free too! As an orthodox foodie, I am always trying to find tasty desserts without having to substitute butter and cream for margarine and chemicals. And then on passover – also without flour!
Bless you, Deb. I have been searching for that Gourmet flourless chocolate cake recipe for years. I lost the issue when I moved houses, and for some reason when I searched on their site for it (because I couldn’t remember which year or month it was), the wrong recipe (with slightly different ingredients) kept coming up. I’ve been trying different varieties of that recipe ever since and it’s never right! Finally, I can rest easy.
I found out a few years ago that I can’t eat gluten, but it’s just now that I’m realizing what a boon Passover is for all of the gluten-free folks! Desserts are still a menu item that I struggle with, so many thanks for the abundance of wheat-free (or easily modifiable) desserts in this week’s posting.
I recently started to read your blog and am really thrilled that you live in and write about New York, because I live here too and am always keeping my eyes out for great good finds.
~Ai Lu
I was wondering what to bring to the family seder and now I just have to make that matzah crunch (not to mention your cookies look delicious). I also found this recipe for date and walnut balls that sounds excellent which I may try. I’ll be sure to post to my blog about it!
I’m really enjoying your blog! Thanks for all the great recipes. I also can’t wait to try your pasta and caulifower dish as well!
Thank you for these recipes. I bake gluten free now and these recipes look so yummy that I can’t wait to try them.
thank you thank you thank you
Deb – thank you for the wonderful passover dessert ideas! Have you ever heard of or tried a chocolate cake made with sweet potatoes?
Thanks Sarit!
Okay – I’ve made them now, I’ve taken them from the oven and put the parchment paper with the cookies on racks to cool. I very lightly whipped the egg whites (with a whisk until just frothy) and although the batter became a bit like stirring concrete, my cookies puffed up (somewhere in between what yours look like and what the photo in New York looks like!).
Of course, I’ve only tasted the batter at this point so if they aren’t good, I’ll let you know.
Thanks again for all the great recipes and great ideas.
Deb, you’re out of control.
Mmm.. I made the Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies and re they ever good! Not too sweet (though the ratio of sugar might encourage otherwise), super chewy and delightfully nutty, kind of remind me of a gluten-free version of brownies. Anyways very nice, especially with some added espresso powder!
Thanks so much for these! I have managed to create a seder guest list including a vegan, someone who’s allergic to nuts, 2 vegetarians (one who eats fish), someone on a low-fat diet, and one person who doesn’t really like vegetables. Oh, and I don’t have an eggbeater, which rules out a ton of passover desserts.
So my crew of picky eaters and I thank you so much for providing a big variety of recipes to choose from.
Being a peanut butter cookie lover, I checked out the “one of the most popular peanut butter cookies on earth” link with a big cantaloupe-wide smile.
But…I don’t understand. How can just PB + sugar + egg = cookie?
Let there never be another tin of Manischewitz macaroons again!!!! I still have nightmares about those. I just posted the matzoh crunchies myself – they’re so highly addictive. I’ll have to try them with walnuts – I usually use toasted almonds. How can something that starts so ..”nothing”…be so addictive. Your desserts are beautiful and I’m coming to your seder.
Hi Deb!
I’ve been a fan of your blog for as long as I can remember, it is truly gorgeous and yummy! I work on a food blog and magazine at UPenn and would like to let you know that I featured your Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies on the blog this morning, hope you check out the post: http://pennappetit.blogspot.com/2008/04/friday-blog-lovin-flourless-chocolate.html
-Olivia
I read the post about the flourless walnut cookies and decided that I had to try these and then scrolled down…….oh my crumbs, you are a baking genius.Now I cannot choose which recipe to follow..I will have to start at the top and work my way down.
Hi Deb,
I just made the matzo crack tonight, and they were absolutely delightful! Who would have thought toffee baked into saltines would be so delicious! Thank you for the post!
I love food traditions, and what a great way to recognize Passover no matter your faith (or lack thereof)! The Chocolate Payards look delish!!
Made the matzo crunch last night, using light muscovado sugar for the caramel, and very dark chocolate – it’s unexpectedly not-too-sweet. May have to bury the tin if I can’t keep my hands off it.
It wouldn’t feel like Pesach without zesty coconut pyramids or cinnamon balls, though, I have to say.
thanks for the links. i made david lebovitz’s idiot cake yesterday. so easy. so delish. got rave reviews last night!
today is matzah crack making day. funny how others call it crack, too, because you can’t eat just one piece! :)
Hi Deb,
I am coming out of the woodworks to tell you what a hit the Sh** cake was at the seder last night. I covered the top with raspberries and it definitely had that wow factor. And I had to make it with Cool Whip and it was still delicious. One person commented that it was gorgeous and looked like a cake in a children’s picture book.
I have made many of your recipes and they have all been fabby!
Glad to hear that so many of you made use of these recipes!
To update, I have made not one but TWO batches of the Matzo Crack this weekend and think that the secret to putting it well over the top of the Awesome threshold is … salted butter. I didn’t add any sea salt, just used already-salted butter and it was perfect and not nearly as sweet as I remember my former version with saltines seeming. I did use more chocolate chips than suggested–about 1.5 cups. Nobody complained.
I also made the Chocolate Expletive Cake in the roll form (took zero pictures, sorry peeps) and want to state–for the record–that I did not curse once. However, Alex says this is mitigated by the fact that I tend to curse when dropping a tablespoon of flour on the floor, so it’s not like I get an award for keeping a cake roll rated PG.
… And a THIRD dessert, not listed, but I’ll get to that later this week.
Deb,
I just had to let you know that, thanks to you, this Baptist girl looked like a Passover rock star when I showed up with Matzo Crack, Chocolate Chip Merinques and the Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake (with matzo cake flour) to my in-laws’ Seders. So, thank you thank you thank you!
Thanks for the recipes Deb! I made the brown sugar meringues (huge hit) and also the chocolate-walnut cookies (another huge hit)! Both were simple to make and came out perfectly.
I have been chasing the elusive Chocolate Idiot Cake recipe all over the Internet, it’s even listed on your site, but I keep getting taken back to an address for it (David Lebolvitz) that is on the Search Page but when clicked on takes me right back to the same Search Page, the website never opens. How/where do I access this recipe? Thanks for any help you can offer this ‘born too long ago to understand all this technology’ gal. JS PS: The other recipes look good and I’m going to try some today. Thanks
I made the lemon cheesecake last year for Passover and it was fantastic! It was so good that I made it for a dinner party many months later! I know my family is expecting it again this year.
Deb, I enjoyed finally meeting you the other week! Thanks so much for sharing all these wonderful Passover recipes. I’m looking forward to trying some of them next week. I grew up on the caramalized matza. Back then we called it something like “matza brittle” or “matza chocolate brittle”. YUUUUUM!
I found the recipe for the chocolate walnut cookies on Epicurious (from Self magazine, funnily enough!) I swapped out finely chopped hazelnuts for the walnuts: They tasted like Nutella cookies. Yum. Mine didn’t spread like yours did in your pictures…could it be because the nuts were chopped up more? I can also confirm that the recipe halves well, for those of us with no self control.
Maybe we’ll skip the sedar meal and just have a selection of desserts…..
Dessert Nirvana! I had forgotten about the merangue cookies: I used to make brown sugar and cinammon kisses…the was BC: before children! Now that they are old enough to get out of the way or help, it’s time to bring them back. We make the mazah brittle, too, but we call it Crack ’cause it’s so darned additctive! My son & BIL are both Passover babies, so one of them almot always falls into the Passover Birthday cake. I’ve been looking for a new good chocolate one. Can’t wait to try David’ Idiot Cake…love the name already. Thanks so much for the ideas. Now I’ll take a look at what else you’ve got. I see a side line about bialys…YUM! Happy Passover!
Has anyone attempted the chocolate caramel matzo with margarine rather than butter? I would never use margarine except I would like to bring them to a seder and they need to be kosher. Thanks!
i’ve made these payard cookies two years in a row! last year i made them with regular confectioners’ sugar and they were such a hit that i was asked to make them again this year. i whipped up a batch last night but used superfine cane sugar blended together with potato starch and was unable to detect a difference! in fact, my boyfriend said last night that this was the first time he’s ever willingly eaten passover food before passover!
Mmm. These were delicious (and could be eaten by our guest who avoids both gluten and butter). But they were awfully hard to get off the parchment!
Just wanted to tell you that we made the chocolate walnut cookies today for Passover – used a little vanilla sugar in place of vanilla extract since I didn’t find any Kosher for Passover extract, and made our own confectioner’s sugar. They were fantastic! Next time I might try a little less sugar since they are sweet, but delicious! A keeper. thanks for posting. Hope you are enjoying the holiday and thanks for making ours sweeter
Dear Deb,
I have been a big fan and reader, but simply had to write today to say an enormous thank you for posting about flourless desserts. We have just learned that our four year is wheat intolerant (in addition to lactose intolerant) and I have been scouring the internet for recipes that aren’t of the second-class-citizen variety. This little boy loves to eat. He once prompted a chef to come out of her kitchen because she wanted to meet the little boy who had ordered the prune and rabbit pie. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal. If all he cared about was hot dogs and bologna sandwiches, it would only be an inconvenience. But missing out on things he really loves makes him sad. The fact that he never complains makes me that much sadder for him. THANK YOU for sharing so many great recipes – it will make his world a lot tastier, and both of us a lot happier.
We made the chocolate idiot cake and the chicken and rice dish for New Year’s. The family that came over made lemon squares also from this website. Everything turned out great; we all loved the food. We served the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, which was delicious. Thanks for having such great recipes!
I make this recipe for flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies every year for seder and they are a huge hit. Thought I would share. The brown sugar gives them a great flavor and yes, you can use Baking Soda on Pesach. You can even find Kosher for Passover Baking Soda.
Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bon Appétit | September 1999
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flourless-Peanut-Butter-and-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-102200#ixzz0i00LNN2V
I make another wonderful dessert from Cooking Light…a lemon almond cake with lemon curd filling. Joan Nathan, Cooking Light, APRIL 2008
It is a nice light dessert to end the seder, and a great alternative to heavy flourless chocolate cake.
Okay-one more Passover dessert to share.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2008/04/10/flour-takes-a-passover-break-and-chocolate-steps-into-the-breach/
Gorgeous presentation, rich chocolate flavor…you only need a small slice of this decadent Pesach dessert. Mmm, Mmm good!
I’ve tried several times to make what we call Matza Crunch using kosher-for-Passover margarine, but it never works. A friend and I once tried using graham crackers with regular unsalted margarine: failure. I would love to know why so many kosher cookbooks have this recipe using margarine when I certainly have never been able to make it. Butter.
My god, I just made those brown sugar meringues you linked, Deb. They’re not done drying out, but I had one anyway, I love them! The molasses flavour isn’t too strong – though I’d like to experiment with using dark brown sugar instead of light – and they’ve got this wonderful, stick-in-your-teeth nougat chew to their centres. I thought I didn’t like meringues, as the ones I’d had were chalky and over sweet. But Mmm!
And I’ve made the matzah crunch too!! So good. My new party trick.
Thanks so much for these recipes. I was teaching my Sunday School class about the passover yesterday….I will have to make one of these..or two:) and treat my class next week!!!!
Matzo Crack is certainly the right term! I made a double batch, fed a bunch of kids, but ate way too much myself. I had a bag of Heath Brickle and sprinkled it over the chocolate instead of nuts. FABULOUS! ADDICTIVE! I wish I hadn’t eaten all the leftovers myself so I could have a piece right now…
Hey Deb,
Just wanted to let you know that I brought the flourless peanut butter cookies to a seder tonight, and they were rejected because peanuts are technically a legume and therefore not kosher for passover. I felt like kind of a jerk for bringing them, but luckily I had also made the almond macaroon torte, so all was not lost. I suppose I should have done a little more research on what is considered Kosher, but maybe you could put an asterisk or something next to that recipe because I don’t think that one will fit the bill. In the end it’s more peanut butter cookies for me though, and I’m perfectly ok with that! :)
Shannon
Hi Shannon — D’oh! I’d totally forgotten than some people are strict about peanut butter. Duly noted, and asterik-ed.
Sorry to burst the flourless bubble of these recipes but graham cracker crumbs contain wheat so are a no-no to gluten free diets.
Was there a suggestion that flourless = gluten free? A Passover-friendly cheesecake crust is linked to in the post; the suggestion is that one would use that instead of a graham crust, which would not be usable on Passover.
I thoroughly recommend Nigella Lawson’s pistachio macaroons from her Domestic Goddess book. You’d need to lower the sugar levels as they’re far too sweet but apart from that, they’re lovely. Be sure to beat the egg whites until stiff before adding the sugar and then continuing to beat the egg whites after that until they get to a stiff meringue before tipping in the ground nuts. Well worth it.
Sorry to chime in so late here, but I made the chocolate walnut cookies yesterday, and I could NOT get them off of the parchment paper! I let them cool for an hour, and still had to pry them off with a knife. They were delicious, but suffered a little aesthetically, and I’d love to make them again…Any advice?
Made these last night, subbed toasted pecans for the walnuts…excellent!
Does anyone know if rice flour can be substituted for potato starch in the confectionery sugar?
you have done a great job with these links!!!!I know how time consuming it is!!
Cant wait to try the chocolatey recipes!
Love your site!
Your blog is amazing. I keep coming back to it, and now as Passover arrives, I intend to knock the socks off my foodie friends and family. Thank you! – Cathy
Just thought I’d chime in about the crust for cheesecake or other desserts needing a crumb crust. I made a cheesecake last year for Passover and made the crust using ground almonds, brown sugar, and melted butter. It was very easy and extremely delicious. Just grind the almonds to a crumb consistency, add brown sugar to whatever level of sweetness you want, and add the melted butter slowly until it sticks together like a regular crumb crust. It’s a bit expensive due to the almonds but very good.
Thanks for the ideas. We resetly found that my mother has wheat, corn, and milk allergies which can make cooking a challenge; these were helpful.
Thank you for this collection. For two years running, it’s my “go-to” place for Passover desserts. :)
One of our favorites is Cafe Delice, published 30 years ago in Bon Apetit. It’s an almond meringue with mocha whipped cream and chocolate ganache. I must admit it’s a lot of work (and needs to be started a day in advance) but it’s always the first dessert to be demolished at our seder. (See the footnote to make it strictly kosher for Passover.)
http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe/62571581/Cafe-Delice/Detail.aspx
Enjoy!
YUM!!! I made the flour less layer cake for my mom’s birthday and after one bite couldn’t wait to make it again for Pesach! definitely making the matza crack again this year, by popular demand. and can’t wait to try out other recipes…Thanks Deb!!
technically you cannot use corn syrup on passover.
I would love to see some non-dairy, and nut free desserts (kids with nut allergies)
to Dana
you are looking at a Ashkenazim view,
this is not same for most Sephardim
I married a man with a Jewish ex-wife and two Jewish kids. We were asked to bring parve, Passover friendly dishes to both a pre-Passover mock sedar and an actual sedar (not to mention snacks for the duration of spring break). I was so overwhelmed with foreign sounding ingredients (potato starch? matzo meal?) I was one site away from buying a tin of macaroons and calling it a day! I have made the flourless Peanut Butter Cookies six times (I used almond butter for the sedar!) “My Mom’s Chocolate Chip Meringues” using the slow and low method and the incredible, fantastic, Chocolate Covered Caramelized Matzo Crunch. I have had dozens of requests for the recipes. I am planning to bring the Idiot Cake to my sister-in-law’s for Easter. Thank you for this list and doing all the work and research. You greatly improved our holiday!
I love all the recipes! I made a few new ones of my own this year too!
Happy Passover to all!
Made matza crack w parve (non dairy) passover margarine. Don’t even try, it never thickened at all. And the taste was as awful as the margarine. I’ll do butter next year.
@Barbara J, the butter worked SO much better!
I did however have luck with margarine sticks, not tub.
Does anyone have a photo of that awesome dessert from March, 1980 Bon Appetit
magazine’s Cafe Delice?
My daughter’s family is fasting for 40 days by giving up flour. BUT she needs a dessert for her Bible Study group. I don’t know why she didn’t think to look on the net. BUT I’m glad she didn’t as then I wouldn’t have found your delicious recipes. I’ve asked (OK begged) her to make the Chocolate Walnut cookie. LOOKS ABSOLUTLEY FABULOUS!
THANKS, all of the recipes are going in my recipe file.
The name of this post is “17 Flourless Dessert Ideas”. Since when is matzo flourless? It turns out there is a matzo that is gluten-free, but it’s hardly common.
https://www.glutenfreematzo.com/
The goal of this post was to point people in the direction of desserts that can be made for Passover.
One thing I’ve been making the last few years for Passover is pignoli cookies. They are quite costly to make (almond paste and pignolis are crazy expensive), but oh so worth it. I got my recipe from allrecipes.com. The one I use is:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pignoli-cookies-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=pignoli&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
These cookies cost $20/lb in NY and NJ so they’re cheaper to make yourself.
Love your website Deb and we hope to see you in Richmond, VA on your book tour :-) Don’t forget us folks in the South, okay?
I’m thrilled with this list and have made the chocolate covered matzo candy before, but someone please tell me how the cheesecake recipes are kosher for passover if the crusts are made with graham crackers or nilla wafers???
You use the Passover Cheesecake Crust, also on the list.
For a cheesecake crust, use macaroons. It’s a huge hit!
I’ve been to three grocery stores and can’t find dutch process cocoa. A year ago I found several varieties at the grocery store…so what gives? What will happen to these cookies if I use regular cocoa?
Nigella Lawson’s Damp Apple Cake is one of our Passover favorites. Flourless and dairy -free. I substitute chunky applesauce for the applepuree. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/15017886/ns/today-food/t/nigella-lawson-serves-more-comfort-foods/#.T3hV96N5mSM
Sorry to tell you, but corn syrup is not kosher for Passover. The chocolate glaze for the flourless chocolate cake is not fit for Passover.
Ariella – many of the recipes here are not kosher for passover for those who do not eat kitniyot (nuts, legumes, rice, etc).However, traditionally, Sephardic jews do eat kitniyot so it depends on your family’s traditions :). Anyway, all of these look great! I can’t wait to try a few of them this week
anon — I have never heard of nuts not being Kosher for Passover! I didn’t see it mentioned here. I have heard about peanuts being an issue, as they’re a legume…
Hi SK–
Thanks for the tips! Turned out great! http://theseattlecook.com/2012/04/05/flourless-chocolate-walnut-fig-cookies-passover-approved/
I realize I’m really late to this party, but I just have to add: I saw the “40 days” typo on my first read-through, but immediately thought, “Hey, if I’m lost 40 days in the dessert, please leave me there! Thank you very much!”
I made the flourless chocolate walnut cookies, which were delicious, but mine looked nothing like the picture. I was thinking of making them for Christmas, but have two relatives with nut allergies. Has anyone made them without the nuts and if so – did you adjust any other ingredients and/or baking time?
on Passover I make Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies by adding an extra egg. using matzo cake flour, no baking soda, extra brown sugar substituted for white and they are amazing. THEN
I make a batch to crumble and use them as base for cheesecake instead of a graham cracker crust. Really delicious! and no passover taste at all.
My kids (college age) and friends sometimes request these cookies instead of regular but I don’t give in because Passover needs something special to make it bearable.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am going to the community Seder in a new town and was really hoping not to have to torture people with sponge cake that I think only my ex-husband can stand.
Just finished the chocolate walnut cookies…switched it to pecans and they are AMAZING. Cannot wait to serve these at the Seders…
hi Deb, just wanted to say how much I love all the ideas you always have for the Jewish holidays. There are just so many distinctly not good American traditions for these perfectly good holidays. This year I told my MIL that I intend to never make brisket again, since my oldest son and I both hate it. I thought she was going to faint. Anyway, I made the Idiot Chocolate Cake and well, I felt like an idiot. It never set. I ended up baking it almost twice as long as called for. It tasted great, but I had to scoop it up with a spoon off the bottom of the springform pan. It will henceforth be called Passover Chocolate Slump in our house. Anyway, thanks for all you do.
I made the flourless chocolate cookies and am thrilled that they are better than the ones at Whole Foods and waaaaay cheaper! Not sure it’s a good thing for afternoon snacking since I can now have these whenever I want, but in the grand scheme of cookies, they ain’t so bad for you! Yummy, yummy recipe. I did have issue with one sheet coming out perfect and the other not so much, but I think that’s my oven, not the recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
I know it’s been a while – but can you please suggest a scoop size for these cookies (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, etc.)? Just an approximation would be great!
It really doesn’t matter what size you scoop them. Large is recommended by the recipe (I’d say 1 tablespoon easily — maybe #70, a size I like to keep around for most cookies) but you can make them smaller if you adjust the baking time.
In my never ending search for Passover recipes that are good and that actually were intended to be flourless, I stumbled on this blog and some of the recipes sound just great. I might have missed something though – a few too many comments for me to read them all. It sounds like some of these really great ones are dairy. I have never served a dairy seder meal and need pareve desserts. Margarine does not always act the same way as butter. Obviously the cheesecake is not an option at all. What about the caramel matzah? Has anyone made it with margarine and is it as good? Thank you.
I have the ultimate challenge for Passover with my kids’ allergies: eggs, nuts, and fish. I have created a collection of recipes over the years, but I’m still in search of good desserts to serve at the seder. Any good ideas?
[PS – I’m such a fan… thanks for your great website!]
I too am allergic to nuts. Really would like to find a recipe for a cheesecake with a flourless crust not made of nuts. Any ideas on things that we can just substitute for nuts as a substitute for flour? :(
Hi, I hope this isn’t a silly question, but in the Passover Powdered Sugar recipe, what is meant by “Makes 2.5 cups”? 1/3 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp potato starch makes about 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Yeah, I have no idea where the extra 2 came from. It should be about 1/2 cup. Now fixed, thanks.
no peanut(legume)butter on Passover! peanuts are really NOT nuts. Nuts grow on trees, peanuts grow in the ground; they are legumes.
There’s a correction right next to the recipe, for those that are strict about it.
LOOKING for a recipe that was making Swiss rolls and banana pudding rolls to look like pieces of sushi.
I want to make the choclate idiot cake for my choclate only dessert guests on Rosh Hashanah. Since we keep kosher, I have to use margarine instead of butter. Is this substitution 1:1-can I substitute 7 tablespoons of margarine for the butter?
I made these last year and they barely made it to Seder, they were so good! Can I make the dough ahead of time, portion and freeze it?
I made the walnut-chocolate cookies yesterday for passover. They’re seriously amazing! K for P or not, they’re a winner.
Love this list Deb! Any chance you would consider doing a sponge cake recipe post (bonus would be if you included raspberry coulis and lemon curd topping which is how my husband’s grandmother, who is now 92 and has officially retired from Passover prep, served it.) My cousin tried to bake it and mentioned it’s trickier than it looks to make that cake! Going to try your hazelnut torte for the second Seder tomorrow!
Sorry for the delayed response on this; do you mean the kind that’s rolled up with jam and cream sometimes? If so, I agree, it’s overdue. (But they’re rarely flourless!)
Hmm, it’s a light cake with lemon zest (I think) and in my opinion, it’s all about the toppings (i.e. lemon curd and raspberry coulis…we load it ion!). I’ll ask her what recipe she uses :)
PS. I’m heading to NYC this weekend and am hoping to get to some of the places you mention in your “Deb’s New York” post! Can’t wait!!
Can these be made in advance and frozen?
No, I wouldn’t freeze these; I think the texture wouldn’t be right when defrosted.
This is similar to one that I make that has choc chips and no nuts. I love it’s intense chocolateness and it’s my favorite Passover cookie!
I’m gonna try them with the nuts and resting them before baking. They can only become more awesome!
Thanks!
These sound fabulous! Your mom’s meringues have always been a favorite of mine. (They’re good ANY time of year.)
I waited 30 minutes and used egg whites in a carton (no yolk) and they spread out all over the cookies sheet. The only lift was the walnuts. What did I do wrong?
I made these cookies for my son in-law’s family Seder celebration and they were a little flatter than yours look in the photo but they were the star of the dessert table with guests asking for more when they ran out. I’ve been asked to double the recipe for next year!!
I made the chocolate walnut cookies and let them rest an hour before baking. They completely spread out- only the walnuts were raised. I used egg whites -no yolk. Tasted great but never puffed. Any suggestions?
You have completely revolutionized my Passovers! I was inspired by the raspberry macaroons to see if I could also make this just in the food processor, and it worked so well! I whirled the cocoa, sugar, and salt, then threw in the toasted walnuts without pre-chopping, pulsed a few times until they started getting chopped, and then added the egg whites and vanilla and pulsed a few more times until everything was just barely blended. I think that they came out better than the first batch when I used the hand-held mixer. These are definitely going in my year-round repertoire!
I tried these for Seder but instead of forming a dough that could be scooped, it turned into an almost corn-syrup-like sticky liquid coating on the walnuts? They spread out pretty badly and yet somehow remained stubbornly sticky in the middle when baked… any idea where I might have gone wrong? Too little mixing (I hand-whisked)? Not enough sugar? Beat the egg whites a bit before incorporating into the sugar?
Mine did the same thing!
I made this with regular cocoa and slightly older walnuts/pecans and they turned out great. They were a huge hit!
My cookies came out very flat. I would suggest whipping the egg whites and folding them in so the cookies have more shape.
These look amazing! Thanks for helping folks remember that just because it’s Passover, we don’t need to eat anything we wouldn’t normally eat (e.g., terrible box mixes). Wishing you a Zisen Pesach!
Can these be frozen? Thank you for all your great recipes.
Where is the angell food cake. I bought the pan and a set of weird spatulas, and now i need help!!!!!
Glad to have made just a half batch. Did notizie rise and flavour is meh. I was just curious, so I’ll stick to proper cookies next time
Made these today for tonight’s seder and they are wonderful. I actually got 4 dozen 2″ cookies from the recipe. Definitely will make them again.
These were a huge hit at our community seder last night. They rose perfectly and crackled nicely. I substituted slivered almonds for the walnuts, but otherwise followed the recipe. Delish!
Deb, you really need to specify if/what nuts can be substituted when you publish a nut recipe. I just used almonds when I made these and they were a disaster. They spread all over the place, leaving a clump if almonds in the center. Not sure if something went wrong in the recipe, or if substituting the nuts was an issue.
… Ava i think you may need to acknowledge that there’s always a risk in making a substitution that deviates from the written recipe. Almonds are pretty different in texture than walnuts, so not sure you can blame deb if you deviated from the recipe and it doesn’t work out. Trial and error my friend!
Sorry, wasn’t meant to sound accusatory- just a suggestion that she make it clear if/what substitutions are acceptable when she’s publishing a nut recipe. Nuts are such a finicky subject- between allergies and general nut likes/dislikes- that people will always want to try substitutions. The first comment I see at the very top of all other comments asks if walnuts can be substituted, but no reply. :(
I do wonder if whipping the egg whites would solve all the problems I and other readers seemed to have when making the recipe.
I don’t think almonds should have been a problem — did you swap by weight? Did you give it the 30 minutes rest?
Made these cookies for Seder this year and they were delicious! So easy to whip up, and I did let them rest for 30 min before baking which helped them puff up a bit in the oven. The deep chocolate flavor with the walnuts makes for a really addictive cookie that I’d bake any time of year.
Just made these for the second time. Thank you so much for gluten-free recipes. I cook for a community dinner and I like having desserts available for our gluten-free folks.
Any chance you could give us gram weight measurements for this recipe?
Added!
Thank you so much! Now I’ll make these and report back.
Hi! What can be substituted for walnut halves (allergy)
Thank you and love virtually alllll of your recipes!!
Nancy
What are your thoughts on pecans rather than walnuts? And have you perchance had luck freezing these cookies unbaked, then baking from frozen? I do love to have ready-to-bake cookies in my freezer at all times, and these seem like they would satisfy many cravings!
Thanks, girl, I have loved your blog and various social media for years and years–I feel so proud of you for all you’ve accomplished!
I haven’t frozen these unbaked so I’m not positive. Pecans should be fine. And thank you!
Could you substitute confectioners xylitol for the sugar?
Do you think I can make these with egg replacer powder instead of eggs?
My mother used to create finer sugar by putting ordinary sugar through a liquidiser. That worked fine, without the need for any added starch.
The longer it’s liquidised, the finer the sugar becomes.
Baking the annual holiday cookie marathon for an audience that includes a gluten and lactose intolerant friend. Can confirm these cookies work with cashews. Also, save yourself some elbow grease by mixing everything in the food processor – rough chop the nuts, add the sugar and chocolate, pulse to mix then add the egg whites, vanilla, salt and pulse to mix again.
Do you happen to have the nutritional info on these?
These have become my emergency, I forgot I promised to bring something, cookies. Just made them with pecans and they turned out great. Also I use dried egg whites the last four times I have made them. Just add the dried egg white to the sugar and cocoa. Then mix in water with the vanilla.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes. Patty
Deb, what do you think about adding espresso powder to these? If you think it sounds good how much would you suggest? Thanks
I’d start with 1/2 a teaspoon, perhaps.
I just made the flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies. OMG. Magic devilry happens in the oven. I did, I admit, add more cocoa powder and also finely chopped 70% premium dark chocolate (why not?). My reasoning was 1. More chocolate is always better. 2. I felt the ratio of sugar to chocolate was going to make these too sweet for me— judging by my results, I was right. They came out perfect: chocolate bombs with just enough sweetness. They even had a nice pseudo-crumb and delightful chewiness. I did the 30 minute wait and they puffed up and cracked slightly. So easy and delicious! And no butter?! No oil?! Incredible! A keeper!
Do you think I could make this vegan using baking soda and apple cider vinegar as an egg replacement? Or maybe applesauce?
I’m not confident this could be vegan-ized well because once you take away the egg whites, you have just sugar and walnuts and cocoa left. Even with apple cider or sauce, there’s just not enough for it to bake into a cookie.
I’m thinking about trying these with aquafaba, which always works well for me to replace egg whites. I will report back!
I wanted to let you know that you wrote “40 years in the dessert”, not desert. I thought it was hilarious and hope you did it on purpose. I’m definitely making these cookies soon, before Passover 2021. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes. You are my go to wherever I want to make something new.
Hey there I just made these cookies! But my batter was super runny – like a cake batter with nuts. Is that what it’s supposed to look like? Because I’ve kept one tray out for 30mins like you said but they’re spreading a lot
How did you measure the walnuts? I should note that mine sometimes come out thinner and sometimes thicker and I think it has the most to do with the volume of walnuts.
I was a little scared to try this cookie because of the mixed reviews, but it looked so good and is gluten free so I gave it a go. I’m so happy they turned out beautifully. They came out thick and look like the photos. They taste like brownies and are really good. I measured all ingredients by weight. Toasted the walnut halves (as well as some pecans I needed to get rid of) and then chopped. Wasn’t sure if I should use the very small bits and dust that inevitably happen when chopping toasted nuts, but thinking it might help with the firmness of the cookies I did (measuring out by weight). I let sit 30-45 minutes after portioning. I froze 6 baked cookies and 6 dough blobs as an experiment and will report back.
The flourless chocolate and walnut cookies were perfect. Perfect combination of chewy and crunchy. We used them to make mini ice cream sandwiches with Talenti sea salt caramel. Such a hit I am making more to have on hand. The other thing II loved about this recipe is that they freeze after cooking really well so you can just take out a few at a time to enjoy. I followed the recipe exactly including the rest time. I looked at several recipes as I was missing the ones at Whole foods…..NYT ext.. and Self.. but they all had complaints by reviewers for flat cookies. I really appreciate the tips you always leave !!
Hi Deb. Just saw this:
These cookies are crispy at the edges, chewy at the center and will filled your
I’m afraid I found these a little dull. The salt on top is definitely needed. Also, the ratio of nuts to batter is a bit much. I think that if the nuts were chopped finely it may have worked better. Not that I’d never try them again, but I may put a little cayenne in the batter or use coconut instead of the nuts, or use mint extract. They need punching up.
Also, what volume do your 4 egg whites measure? By standard measures they should measure 1/2C, but that made a very thin batter.
Hello, Can I subtitle the confectioner sugar? I’m trying to lower my sugar intake. Can I use monk fruit instead? Please advise.
Thank you
Thanks, Deb, for all the Passover recipes! (And my poor mom also has an April birthday, and is also haunted by crappy sponge cake.)
I wanna express my IRKEDNESS with all the people loudly declaiming that peanuts aren’t kosher for Passover. Please say they’re not kosher in YOUR TRADITION. Ashkenazi Jews are not ALL THE JEWS. Sephardic Jews have ALWAYS eaten kitniyot. It’s not hard to be inclusive with language, friends!
BTW, I have a fatal tree-nut allergy (spent one Christmas intubated — fortunately, I’m Jewish, so I didn’t miss much), which means Passover is always tough for me. My mom used to make one bowl of traditional Ashkenazi charoset and one bowl riffing on Sephardic charoset (made with some variety of chopped oranges, banana, figs). I made two ceramic bowls, one that said “EVIL ASHKENAZI NUT CHAROSET” with pictures of walnuts on it, and one that said “LOVELY NON-MURDEROUS SEPHARDIC CHAROSET” with pictures of oranges on it. And yet one year I ate from the wrong bowl and had to use my epinephrine syringe and take so much Benadryl I passed out and missed most of the seder. Now I host, and we have peanuts (SURELY we have someone Sephardic in our family tree), and there are no tree nuts. (I have tried using pine nuts — seeds, allowed in Ashkenazi tradition — in Passover baking and they’ve always been too oily. Recipes welcome, though.)
Thank heaven for flourless chocolate cake and meringues.
PS. Deb, you are the best, with the highest recipe hit rate of any site I follow, including NYT Cooking.
What do you think would be the best nut substitute? We have walnut and hazelnut allergies in the family🤷🏻♀️
I make these with pecans!
Deb, for people with diabetes or other reason not to use sugar, can monk fruit with allulose be used? It’s a natural sweet substance with no calories and the texture is that of powdered sugar.
I just haven’t tested this cookie with a sugar substitute so I cannot say. Unless you’ve found it to work seamlessly in other flourless cookies, in which case, I’d expect it to here too.
I’m looking for a Crumb Top Coffee Cake that is kosher for Passover. Do you have one to share?
In fact, long before Payard, Gottlieb’s Bakery, in Savannah, Georgia (where I grew up), was making these and calling them Chocolate Chewies. But made with pecans. Their most popular cookie.
Made exactly per the recipe (and for once I used a scale instead of measuring cups) and they turned out perfectly! Not at all flat or too spread out…in fact, some looked like regular cookies and some were still a bit mounded after baking. Didn’t whisk the eggs whites at all. I added them to the dry ingredients and stirred just until all the sugar/cocoa was incorporated. Yum.
Thank you for putting this post here as a resource also for those of us whose love language is baking but who have gluten free family and friends. Actually good tasting scrumptious and gf dessert recipes index from Deb : a treasure!!
I just made these. WOW – so good. Would never guess they were flourless. Didn’t have enough walnuts, so used ~10% hazelnuts. Will make again!
Deb, I just made the chocolate walnut cookies and they look delicious. Can they be frozen?
I haven’t frozen them but they seem like they could be okay.
Deb,
I just made the chocolate walnut flourless cookies. After removing the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool, I had a TERRIBLE time removing the cookies from the parchment paper after they cooled. It was so hard to remove each cookie that the nice round shaped cookies lost their shape as I tried to pry the cookies away from, and off the parchment paper. I am not sure why they were so hard to remove. I baked the cookies for 14 minutes and they looked as described, tops were glossy and lightly cracked and crispy. Do you have any thoughts?
Sometimes it’s the parchment paper — what brand were you using? Other times, the cookie was just underbaked. When I underbake my meringues, for example, they’re hard to remove.
Deb, Thank you for your response. I used a store brand parchment paper. And maybe I didn’t cook them long enough?? I cooked them 14 minutes. They tasted good to our family and I thought it mentioned they were chewy? Is that true? As ours were chewy. My last thought was, the recipe calls for coarsely chopped walnuts. However the picture of the baked cookies looks as if the walnuts are a fair size so I did not chop them fine, but instead broke them up with my hands. Could that have been a reason do you think? I will try again with longer time baking and finely chopping the walnuts. Thank you very much!
Hi Deb- Thanks for all the Passover dessert love (I’m in charge of desserts; I have a reputation to keep!)
What do you think about swapping macadamia nuts for the walnuts in these cookies?
I think it would be good.
These came out great!
Because of the mixed results other people were reporting, I weighed all the ingredients, and I am guessing that helped get the ratio right. I also let the cookies rest for an hour before baking.
I used the food processor method a couple people recommended. I have a regular size cuisinart, and midway through I thought it was going to be too small, but it ended up working fine.
Excellent cookie, esp for a gluten-free/dairy-free cookie!
I made these and they were fabulous. I remember the first time I made them the batter was very liquidy and they spread a lot. The second time, I did it all in the food processor, like someone else mentioned. Game-changer! I think having the walnuts in smaller pieces does help. I also did the half-hour wait before baking them and that really helped. One small batch of 6 cookies even had to wait an hour before I could get them in the oven, and those were definitely the most rounded on the top.
Overall super delish and I just wish I hadn’t forgotten the sprinkle of flaky sea salt on the tops at the end.
Would love to make for a GF friend.
Can you make without nuts? Maybe some peppermint chips?
Having made these twice in the last couple of weeks, I believe that chopping the nuts in the food processor (just a few pulses, maybe 5-7) helped make the texture of the cookie better in the end. It creates more of the extra-tiny nut pieces that incorporate into the batter and help with bonding – that’s my theory, anyhow.
This is a very sweet cookie, as all the fat present to balance out the confectioner’s sugar is in the nuts. But as long as you know you’re in for that, it’s also a very tasty GF/DF dessert that’s helpful to have on deck. I was on the lookout for a recipe I could take to our friend’s annual Christmas Eve get-together where we have some folks who can’t do flour and dairy products, which my other favorite cookies are full of (see: Deb’s Confetti Cookies). These are indulgently festive in their own chocolatey way and fit the bill.