super chewy chocolate cookies

Fudgy brownie-ness baked up into big, round, bumpy chocolate cookies.Fat-free, too. Mostly.If you don't count the vanilla chips.And I made them on the cheap.I didn't have Dutch-processed cocoa powder.I didn't have nuts or cocoa nibs.But I needed chocolate.Chocolatey chocolate. Like this...I found several variations on this no fat cookie, so I went with the one with the highest cocoa content.I used Hershey's cocoa. Nice and cheap.I used vanilla chips. Cheaper than nuts.And these babies came out rich and delicious.They're chewy-fudgy in the middle, with a thin crackly outer-shell, like a brownie. A small hit of coffee in the mix amped up their chocolatey goodness.Even better, these were pretty easy to throw together.No endless egg whites beating or stiff peak requirements.Just chocolate fabulousness.Chocolate Featherweight Cookiesadapted from the Orangette blogmakes 15 cookies

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground instant coffee powder
• 1 tablespoon hot water
•  4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups vanilla chips (or chopped nuts, cocoa nibs, etc., see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.In small bowl, dissolve finely ground instant coffee powder (I ground the granules under a spoon) in the hot water. Set aside to cool.In large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together cocoa powder, sugar and salt until evenly combined.In  small bowl or measuring cup, lightly whisk together egg whites and coffee mixture. With mixer on low, slowly pour the egg mixture into the cocoa mixture. Turn mixer to medium and beat mixture for 2 minutes, until mixture is smooth and silky. Stir in chips and/or nuts, cocoa nibs, etc.Use an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons to make five mounds of batter on one prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each mound.Place the pan in the oven, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for about 14 to 17 minutes, or until thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Place pan on cooling rack and allow cookies to cool completely on pan.Repeat process with remaining batter on prepared cookie sheets. Before each batch, turn the oven back up to 350, then decrease temperature to 325 after placing pan in oven.Note: Although I thought the vanilla chips were good, I'll probably splurge next time and use a combination of chips and chopped nuts next time.