Personal Chocolate Soufflés

(Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free)

INGREDIENTS

§ 4 eggs, separated and brought to room temperature

§ 1/3 cup  butter

§ 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (1 ¼ cups chocolate chips)

§ ¼ cup granulated sugar

§ 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

§ A few drops of almond extract

§ (optional garnishes) Homemade whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sliced berries, and or fresh mint sprigs

PREPARATION:

1.       Make sure the eggs are set out to begin coming to room temperature if not already done. It would be good to have the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in the large bowl of a stand mixer (unless you want to beat them by hand…not recommended).

2.      Grease six 4oz ramekins and place on a baking pan, preferably with a lip.

3.       Place the chocolate in a 3 to 4-cup microwaveable measuring cup or bowl and add the butter. Microwave on high for 1 min, take out and stir. Repeat this process until chocolate is almost melted with some lumps remaining. Take out and stir until completely smooth. Allow to cool for at least 20 min.

4.      While the chocolate cools, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually sprinkle in the granulated sugar and beat for a minute more. To check the stiffness, pull out a beater and look at the egg whites on the end, they should droop slightly instead of being stiff.

5.       Scoop all of the chocolate into the egg yolks and beat with a fork or whisk until uniform, then add in the extracts and repeat.  Eyeball the egg whites and add roughly 1/3 of them to the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, use a stirring motion to mix the egg whites into the chocolate until smooth then add the remaining egg whites and fold them into the chocolate, gently scooping from the bottom to the top until almost smooth, but still light with a few lumps and specks of egg white.

6.      Spoon the batter into the ramekins as evenly as possible (they will be very full, but don’t worry, the soufflés with bake upwards and not go all over the oven!) Bake at 350 F for 10-15 min until puffed nicely. They may jiggle a bit, but that’s ok, the insides should still be soft.

7.      For best results, serve the soufflés immediately before they deflate, but don’t have your guests eat them until they cool off a bit, but are still warm. Do not garnish until the very last moment possible because they whipped cream will melt and the toppings may crush the soufflé. Be sure you serve this with milk because you will need it!