DECADENT BUT EASY INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

I love ramekins for so many things:  prep bowls, snack bins, small baked egg and cheese breakfasts, mini pot pies.  But really, why have ramekins if you don't make dessert in them?

Here's an almost no-fail way to make chocolate soufflé, where it's cake on the outside and ooey-gooey chocolate goodness on the inside.  And.... wait for it... it's made from scratch, can be made ahead prior to baking, and is pretty easy.

This is your new go-to dessert to wow your in-laws and boss.

Why almost no-fail?  Well, let's have a look at the ingredients:  chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour.  Pretty much any measurement and ratio of those 5 ingredients will come out delicious.  The only way you can screw up this recipe is if you burn the soufflés.

Many recipes for chocolate soufflés are so fussy; separate the eggs, mix in cream of tartar (what is that anyway?), don't move or the soufflé will fall.  I wanted something simple and sturdy that anyone could whip up in a jiffy, so I just started testing combinations of the 5 ingredients above.  We are a family of 6, so this recipe is for 6 individual soufflés.  I figured 6 eggs for 6 soufflés, a cup of chocolate (real chocolate, in chip or bar form), 11 tablespoons of butter (it's an uneven prime number, I know, but that's what I had on hand and it came out great), 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. 

You can make the batter ahead and loosely cover with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.  Just plan on baking them for a couple of minutes more if they have been refrigerated.

DECADENT BUT EASY INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES:

Serves 6, about 35 minutes, with baking.

6 small ramekins, inside lightly buttered.
1 cup of real dark chocolate.
11 Tablespoons of butter, cut into approximately 1 tablespoon squares.
6 eggs.
3/4 cup sugar.
1/2 cup flour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water in a double-broiler or a Pyrex in a pot of water.

I don't have a double-broiler, so I just put a Pyrex in a pot of water

Occasionally stir the chocolate and butter.  I used a wooden chopstick, but you can use fork, spoon, whisk.  Be careful of the boiling water!

While waiting for the chocolate and butter to melt, mix well the eggs and sugar in a stand-up mixer or by hand with a whisk. 

Fold in the flour.

When the chocolate and butter mixture is melted, using oven mitts, slowly pour the chocolate mixture in a small but steady stream while at the same time mixing the egg mixture.

Be careful not to just pour the whole chocolate mixture into egg mixture at once or you will cook the eggs.

Evenly pour the batter into the 6 ramekins.  Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet.

 Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until the tops are cracked.  Start checking the souffles around 14 minutes to make sure they don't burn.  If you like it more gooey, take the souffles right out of the oven when the tops are just cracked.  If you like it more cakey, bake for 1 or 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately.  Since the ramekins are hot, you might want to put each ramekin on a small dish so as not to burn your table or guests.  You can serve the soufflés as-is, or sprinkle some powdered sugar and top with a raspberry.  Also goes well with vanilla ice cream (but what doesn't?).

Bon appetit!