flourless fudge cookies

i saw a post about cookies like these on thekitchn last week and not even a few hours later my friend julia sent me the same link. we discussed it and decided they needed to be made, so i found this recipe from the king arthur flour site that someone had recommended. this is one of the most unique recipes i've made and it seems sort of unnatural considering how little ingredients it has, and with no egg yolks or flour, it's practically good for you (yes, i think you should forget about the 2+ cups of powdered sugar it has in it and concentrate on no flour, butter or egg yolks! egg whites have protien people! and cocoa has flavonoids, right?)

anywho, my friends said they are divine (very rich so i can only eat a bite here and there, but for dark chocolate lovers, this is your scene.)

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
1 cup cocoa powder, dutch-process (european-style) preferred
3 large egg whites (i had to add an extra because my batter was too thick)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preheat the oven to 350°F. lightly grease two baking sheets. or line with parchment, and grease the parchment (or use a silpat but if you do, make sure to cool the cookies completely before trying to remove them). stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth. drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in balls about the size of ping pong balls, about 1 1/2"; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. bake the cookies for 8 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops (they get more crackly when you remove them from the oven, so don't wait for them to be perfectly crackly while in the oven). remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan.