These rich, slightly cakey egg yolk cookies are just as tasty as any chocolate chip cookies.
I’m obsessed with meringue-based desserts like macarons and angel food cake!
But the problem is I always end up with many extra egg yolks. Besides stocking up on pie crusts and making ice creams, I wanted to try making cookies.
Thanks to the wonderful friend, Google, I came across this recipe, and wanted to give it a go. But I did make a few minor changes. They turned out great. Rich, cake-like cookies. Saving this for next time I need to put the extra egg yolks to a good use.
Did I mention it’s super easy to make this recipe? You hardly need any special equipment. I did use my stand mixer, but regular electric hand-mixer will do just fine. Here is step-by-step photos.
Egg Yolk Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts optional
- ¼ cup (60g) chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F (177°C).
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, or using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk mixture and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides couple times.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix just until well combined.
- Add nuts and chocolate chips, if desired.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, form into 1.5-inch balls and place them on baking sheets with plenty of space to spread. Flatten the dough slightly before baking.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set.
Nutrition Facts:
kyra says
Great recipe! I tweaked it a little, and wanted to share :). I halved the recipe and added 1/4 tsp almond extract. I also added an additional while egg because I used gluten free flour, and it look dry. i also added m & ms to make monster cookies, and they were delicious!
Shinee says
Hi, Kyra! Thank you so much for your feedback and sharing your tweaks for gluten-free version!
William A Triggs says
I found that the cookie doesn’t have a strong flavor to it best served with tea I think next time I bake this cookie I will use almond extract instead of vanilla
Shinee says
Hi, William. Thank you for your feedback. Yes, these cookies don’t have any particular flavor that stands out, so it makes it a perfect canvas for additional flavors. Almond extract sounds great!
Mary says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I don’t often have egg yolks left over, but I love these cookies. Can I make them with whole eggs?
Shinee says
Hi, Mary. So glad you enjoyed the cookies. Unfortunately, I didn’t try this recipe with whole eggs, so I can’t offer a good advice.
Nona says
These are scrumptious and are so easy to make! I had two yolks from making swiss meringue so I had to cut down the recipe to a third but kept ratios and instructions the same, even baking time and temperature. I guess that means this is a pretty lenient recipe, perfect for beginners and busy people. My oven was busy by the time I was finished mixing the ingredients so I kept the pre shaped dough in the fridge for an hour before I baked. And just before I put them in the oven I couldn’t help but stick another handful of chocolate chips on them! They were so full of walnuts and chocolate and the cookie itself was so rich without being overly sweet. I really enjoyed this with a glass of oat milk. Thank you for this recipe! I might want to make them even if I wasn’t just using leftover yolks. Now I have to find a recipe to make leftover whites with haha!
Shinee says
Hi, Nona! So happy you tried these cookies and loved them! I loved reading your adjustments and everything, so helpful! Thank you! And I’ve got you covered for egg whites recipe, because I have PLENTY of them here. Just let me know if you need help choosing. 😉 Thanks again for your feedback, Nona!
Andrew says
I made these to use some extra egg yolks, and I was very happy with them. Rather than 6 egg yolks, I used 5 yolks (my left-overs) plus one whole egg, and instead of cream of tartar (which I didn’t have on hand), I used 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, and it was fine. As described, the texture is somewhat cakey, and the taste was not too eggy for me–just a pleasantly light sweetness with some added flavor/texture from toasted pecans and chocolate chips.
Shinee says
Hi, Andrew. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and sharing your tweaks. Super helpful. And I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies.
Aanchal Gupta says
can i freeze these cookies or its batter? how long can i freeze them and how long? and also how to thaw?
Shinee says
Hi, Aanchal. Yes, you can definitely freeze the cookies, or dough. I’d freeze dough balls on a baking sheet first, then once completely frozen, transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer bag. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. You don’t need to thaw the frozen dough balls before baking. Just arrange them on a baking sheet and you’ll just need to bake them 1-2 minutes longer. Hope this helps. Let me know how you like them!
Aanchal Gupta says
Thank you for confirming! also can I make these into double chocolate chip cookie? should I replace some of flour to cocoa powder ?
Shinee says
I haven’t tried chocolate version, but I think you’re correct with replacing some of the flour for cocoa powder.
P Yerbury says
Had spare egg yolks from making meringue and saw this recipe, tried it and it made lovely tasty biscuits (cookies). Will definitely use it again
Shinee says
Hi, P Yerbury. So happy you tried and loved the cookies. Thank you for your feedback!
John says
I made them with lemon juice in place of cream of tartar….only made 9, think my portions were a bit big but worked anyway and was very tasty. Any idea on the calorie count ?
Shinee says
Hi, John. Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Your cookies must have been big, I get about 3 dozen cookies with this recipe, but each cookies are made with 1.5 tablespoons of dough. I just updated the recipe card with estimated nutrition info.
Patricia Wheeler says
Just made these to use up egg yolks (I had them because I helped my grandson with a chemistry experiment that needed egg whites). They are very good. My husband loves macadamia nuts so these are a winner with him. I made them on the large side so it made 18.
Patricia Wheeler says
Oops. The pandemic has done something to my basic math skills. It made 24 good sized cookies!
Shinee says
Thank you for your feedback, Patricia. So happy you all loved the cookies.
Annie Lopez says
A really great recipe, very happy how the cookies turned out!!! My grandchildren love them!!!
Shinee says
Aww, so happy you tried and loved the recipe, Annie. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Diane says
I think its a wonderfull receipe, it does have an eggy smell, but i love eggs! I always have leftover egg yolk and i’ve been looking for something else to make with them other than custard, flan, or creme brulee. It allows me to use different added ingredients i used a few packs of those mix fruit and nuts snack mixes. I wish i could add a picture to this comment.😁❤
Shinee says
So happy you tried and liked the cookies, Diane! I’d love to see your cookies. You may submit your photo here.
Penny says
I was looking for a recipe for egg yolks, because we like egg whites for breakfast. So I found this recipe and tried it. We substitute the chocolate chips and nuts for almond Hershey candy bars. Wow, the cookies baked perfectly and are so delicious. I shared the recipe with my friends.
Laura says
They were okay. Wouldn’t recommend, quite eggy tasting and I followed the recipe to a T. 🤷🏼♀️🙁
Shinee says
Hi, Laura. I appreciate your feedback, and I totally respect not everyone has the same palate. Some people are sensitive to egg taste. And these cookies use egg yolk after all. I hope they’re better after they’re cooled. Sometimes chilling takes care of “egginess” in food.
Zerina says
Hi. This cookie is awesome. I added orange zest. And was very nice. I needed to use up my egg yokes.
Nadine says
This is probably the best cookie recipe i’ve tried! I did sub the sugar for 150g white and 50g brown though… i used a light butter for lesser calories and it didn’t really taste like it lacked the fat in butter! Also i added 100g dark chocolate chips And 100g white chocolate chips… definitely one for the books!
I just want to ask how you store it though? In the fridge? Freezer? Thanks!
Jane says
We made an angel food cake for father’s day and so like many before me I came across your recipe because I found myself with too many egg yokes, a great predicament to be in. Thank you so much for such a wonderful chocolate chip recipe. I made it exactly how you did it except for multiplying the amount of chocolate chips a few times. They are beautiful and the texture is really nice, a great variation on the chocolate chip cookie. Definitely will be making this one again! They were a big hit.
Enya says
Hi my name is Enya and it my mum’s birthday today and I had leftover egg yolks so I wanted to make her cookies. I wanted to use more chocolate chips, so I halved the sugar. The batter was very crumbly but the end result was delicious! My mum loves them! Thank you for the great recipe!
Shinee says
Hi, Enya. So glad your mom loved the cookies. Thank you for your feedback!!
Stacy says
This recipe totally rocks! I do not usually write a review but the sheer deliciousness of this recipe inspires me to let you know ,I thank you. I only made a small adjustment , I added some salt
The basic recipe makes a great base for other cookies. I made lemon, walnut and and white chocolate chip. . Loved them all
Definitely a keeper.
Shinee says
Aww, thank you SO much, Stacy, for your feedback!! I’m happy you love these cookies so much! I love your variations too! I gotta try asap!!!
Michele says
Absolutely love this recipe, I substituted the white sugar & used brown sugar & added sultanas .. will Definitely make again 🙂
Shinee says
So glad you love this recipe, Michele. Thank you for sharing your adaptation!
Saz says
5 stars for sure, every week my guy (whose Filipino) asks me to make this exact cookie, might be the perfect cookie in his opinion. It’s a fabulous tea cookie, or just a breakfast cookie for when you are on the go; I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone who isn’t into uber sweet cookies, so fabulous!!!!
Shinee says
Thank you, Saz, for your feedback. So happy you all are enjoying these cookies so often!! YAY!