I missed DK's earlier 2 events, so this time I wanted to send at least one entry as early as possible. This month's theme being Italian and since I'm into eggless baking, I searched for Italian cookies and found this. Lot of versions of these cookies are available throughout the net, but I found this one to be the easiest. These are eggless whole wheat flour cookies, with a lot of almonds and raisins.
Recipe
Eggless Italian Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Surprise your loved ones with this simple eggless italian chocolate nut cookies. You don't have to go to Italy to enjoy these tasty bites.
Need To Convert Measurements?Check out the Baking Measurement Chart!
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Margarine (I Used 1 Stick Smart Balance 50/50 Unsalted Butter Blend More Details In My Notes)
- ⅔ Cup Cocoa Unsweetened (I Used Droste Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder)
- 2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Water
- 2 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon (I Used Vanilla Essence Instead Of These Spices)
- 1 Teaspoon Cloves Or Allspice
- 1 Cup Finely Chopped Almonds
- 1 Cup Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F for 15 minutes.
- Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan.
- Heat slowly, stirring till the mixture resembles chocolate syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
- Combine flour with baking powder and spices (if using).
- Pour in chocolate syrup and work into a stiff batter. (See My Notes)
- Add almonds and raisins. Raisins generally stick together, so take little flour and mix it with the raisins and separate them with your fingers, so the raisins will be spread uniformly throughout the batter.
- I scooped out the dough using half tablespoon (see My Notes) and dropped it on the cookie sheet. The cookie does not spread, so leaving ½ inch space in between is sufficient. I was able to arrange 24 cookies in a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
My Notes
- Smart Balance 50/50 Unsalted Butter Blend is a blend of real butter and Smart Balance Spread. It is in a convenient stick form, which is ideal for measuring and baking. The calories measure up to be the same of regular butter (100gm per tablespoon), but this one has 28% less saturated fat than butter and 50% less cholesterol than butter. It's also an excellent source of Omega 3 and Vitamin E. It's non-hydrogenated and does not have Trans Fats.
- At first I doubted the measurements, because I felt that adding the entire syrup would make the batter very watery. So I reserved ¼th of the syrup and added the almonds and raisins. But once they were added the dough became very stiff, so I added the reserved syrup also which gave the right consistency to the dough. It was neither very stiff nor watery.
- Spray the tablespoon with some non stick spray, so the dough will fall off the spoon easily. If you want perfect shaped cookies you can shape the dough into balls and arrange it on a cookie sheet or else you can simply drop it to get a nice rustic look.
- The flavor of cocoa was dominant than the sweetness. I liked it very much. But if you have a very sweet tooth, you may want to increase the quantity of sugar.
- I would also suggest toasting the almonds before adding it to the batter to give a nice crunch to the cookies.
Taste & Texture
- The cookies tasted more like chewy brownies with the perfect amount of sweetness from the combination of brown sugar and raisins.
Did You Make This?I love seeing what you made! Leave a review comment below and be sure to tag me at @EgglessCooking when you share a photo!
Levi says
Thanks for the recipe, they turned out great! I just didn't have any eggs and these are some of the best cookies I've made! I added a bit of cayenne for a bit of spice and took out the raisins. So great! Thanks!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Levi.
Rama Balage says
Thank you Madhu. I did a slight variation..Skipped the spices and raisins, instead I did more nuts (Cashews, walnuts and almonds). They came out amazing. It was simple, tasty and so sweet. My husband loved them and didnt even allow them to cool completely :)Thanks a ton..
Madhuram says
You're welcome Rama. Hope you can rate the recipe when you find time.
Urmi says
I'll try I like ur receipe
laura says
P.S It's great that they have no eggs in too, as you can eat the cookie dough uncooked worry-free! Thanks !!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Laura.
laura says
Made these cookies once and decided to make them as christmas presents!! Great cookie recipe, added a bit of icing sugar(dry) sprinkled ontop to make them look christmassy!
Anju says
Oops, I missed that step amongst the pictures. Anyway, I tried these cookies over the weekend, but it has a cakey consistency rather than a cookie consistency, was it something I did, or is the recipe for a chewy chocolate cookie.
From what I've gathered, brown sugar retains moist, so that could possibly explain it. It tastes good though, just wished it was crispier.
Yes Anju, these are soft cookies and not the usual crispy ones. If you want crispy chocolate cookies check these out:
1) http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/09/02/eggless-chocolate-chip-cookies/
2) http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/01/23/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Anju says
Madhu, I don't get it, where did the chocolate syrup come from? 😕
Hi Anju, read the 2 and 3rd steps carefully. You have to combine and heat the first 4 ingredients and it resembles a chocolate syrup. Check the 4th and 6th photos too.
Megna Anjali Summoogum says
best cookie ever
Thanks Megna.
Anamika: The Sugarcrafter says
Madhu
well done.....eggless chocolate cookies is worth the search and you have made it very nicely.Thanks also for passing through my blog and leaving such encouraging words.
DK says
What can I say except thats been said before! They r so plump and am sure a delight to the mouth! 🙂 Looks v v v v yum Madhu....Another crowd pleaser from u...Thanks for sendin these my way -luv them
Madhuram says
Bee, yes they were chocolatey.
Laavanya, it is chewy and tempting. I'm snacking on it even now.
Sunshinemom, the credit goes to my husband. He insists on doing this and he takes the pictures.
Anjali, belated birthday wishes for your son. Do try the cookies and turn any ordinary day into a special day.
JZ, thank you very much.
Vaishali, thank you very much. I remember how apprehensive I was about baking before I could start, so I want to be as clear as possible.
Cynthia, it's my dear husband's idea and effort.
Deepa, I have not tried Soy maragarine. Thanks for the tips, will try it soon.
Sia, tell me about it. Once we start it, somehow we get addicted to baking I guess.
Kumudha, sure you could use soy maragarine.
Cham, Shreya, Mansi, Aparna, Jayasree thank you very much.