mini chocolate souffles

So Josh walks in last Friday and announces that by the end of the year, he hopes to master the souffle. A little back story on Josh - he loves to learn everything possible about one thing, whatever that one thing happens to be at the moment. I always joke that his favorite hobby is becoming an expert at something. No big deal. There was the whiskey phase, the poached egg phase, the swimming phase (this one has been around since birth and I don't think it's ending anytime soon), and now we're apparently in the souffle phase. But, given my love for all things sweet and baked, I'm in.

It should only be appropriate that we tore through all of my cookbooks and scoured the internet for chocolate souffle recipes. There was even a (slightly) heated debate over which one we would ultimately pick for our first try. The recipe below was perfect for beginners. We ended up with rich and fluffy souffles. If you use the recipe below, I recommend adding a creme anglaise sauce. Or, simply melt some vanilla ice cream and pour a few tablespoons on top.

mini chocolate souffles

(recipe adapted from Bake Me Blush)
4 servings, using 4 - 3 1/2" ramekins

Butter and granulated sugar for the molds
7 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (we used Guittard)
2 tablespoons prepared espresso
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup white sugar
A pinch of salt

Let butter and eggs come to room temperature - set on counter at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and sugar the four ramekins. Cover each ramekin with a bit of plastic wrap and shake so that the sugar is evenly dispersed.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Let cool.

Separate eggs.

Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until mixture is a light lemon yellow.

Pour cooled melted chocolate into yolks and quickly whisk to combine.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold a stiff peak. It is easiest to do this with an electric mixer.

Gently fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Add the chocolate mixture back into the remaining egg whites. Fold gently to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared ramekins. Batter should fill the ramekins to just under the brim.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 25-28 minutes. Cakes should still be a little jiggly, but not raw on top. Don't wait until tops are stiff and springy or they will likely be overcooked underneath. Gently removed from baking sheet and place on table, so as not to disturb the structure of the souffle. Serve with creme anglaise or vanilla ice cream.