I used to be terrified of Passover baking until I came across a flourless cookie recipe that blew my mind.  This recipe for Double Chocolate Nut Cookies saved Passover!  You may think I am being a little dramatic, but baking for Passover is tough!  A dessert that is “good enough for Passover” is just not good enough for me.  I pride myself on serving up delicious desserts at all times, no exceptions, no excuses.  I am currently on a mission to develop at least one delicious treat every Passover.  I am excited to share my recipe for chocolate chip cookies with you!

I developed this recipe one night and was eager to test it out.  I took out my new pink Kitchenaid and mixed up a batch of dough.

The cookie dough looked perfect, just like regular cookie dough, so I put them in the oven.

They came out of the oven looking great.  Yes, that is a matzoh oven mitt.  It’s not Passover until I pull out my matzoh oven mitt!  Now the final test; how did they taste.  Delicious!  If I hadn’t baked these with my own two hands, I would not have believed they are Kosher for Passover!

The secret ingredient in these cookies is vanilla pudding mix.  It gives the cookies a great texture and flavor.  Every Seder (traditional Passover meal) should end with these cookies.

These cookies are great because they are Kosher for Passover and non-dairy.  Happy Passover from my little slugger!

P.S. What are you baking for the holiday?

Passover is a very difficult holiday for a pastry chef.  For 8 days out of the year I feel like I am on a TV show and challenged to bake without flour.  No flour?!  It’s a dessert lovers nightmare!  Every dessert ends up tasting like sponges and cardboard.  For years I have disappointed my family and friends.  “I bake 51 weeks out of the year.  On Passover I’m off–fend for yourselves.”  A few years ago a friend of mine called me up and told me that she found a great flourless chocolate cookie recipe in the newspaper. Knowing that she’s not a great baker, she asked if I would bake her a batch for Passover.  I agreed with a disclaimer that I normally don’t “do” Passover baking.  OMG, the cookies were amaaazing!  I could not stop eating them.  Maybe Passover baking isn’t as hard as I originally thought.  Or…maybe this is just a delicious recipe.  It turns out that the recipe I was given is from François Payard, one of the best pastry chefs in the America.  Of course it’s a perfect recipe.  It’s also really easy to make!

Do you believe that these are kosher for passover?  They look so delicious and taste even better.  To make these cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Spread 2 cups of walnuts in a thin layer and toast them in the oven for 9 minutes.

You may be wondering why my walnuts look like pecans.  No, you aren’t crazy.  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but when I went to the supermarket, they were all out which works out for me because I don’t care for walnuts anyway.  Pecans are my favorite and they actually work really well in this recipe.  So go ahead and use your favorite nut.  Once they are all toasty, give them a rough chop.

Allow the nuts to cool.  Then in a bowl of an electric stand mixer combine confectioners sugar*, cocoa powder and salt.  Using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients on low.  Then add in the cooled nuts and mix until the nuts are coated.  Then add in the egg whites and vanilla.  Mix on low until just combined.  Do not mix too long or the cookies will be tough.  The original recipe ends here, but I mixed in some chocolate chips.

Once the chocolate chips are mixed in, drop the batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  (I used a 2 tsp. size cookie scoop.)

Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes until they are cracked and set on the outside.  The centers will still be soft.  Let them cool on the parchment paper.  They will release from the paper once they are cool.  I love how they look all lined up.

Check out that shine!  They get that glossy look from the egg whites.  They look good enough to eat.  So I had one.  Or six.  The recipe makes 36 cookies, I made enough to share!

They are soft, chewy and fudgy- perfect cookie texture.  Each bite is filled with nuts and chocolate.  This cookie is delicious year round for gluten free friends, those on a diet (no flour or egg yolks!) or to feed a chocolate craving.  They are especially perfect for Passover! 

Please try this recipe for Passover!  Here is my adaptation of François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies.  Nobody should have to eat sponge cake all week.