Dark Chocolate Soufflé

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/

This fortnight's Cookbook Challenge theme is Eggs. I wanted to make an egg-based dessert and I wanted to try a dish that I had never attempted before, so I went with a soufflé. This recipe is from Hershey's Chocolate Lovers Cookbook, published in 1993. It says to use a 6-cup soufflé dish, which of course I didn't have. I went many places trying to find one, with no luck. In one store I did find some for $10 and I wasn't even sure if they were big enough. So I decided that I would just make individual soufflés and use coffee mugs instead of soufflé dishes or ramekins. And they worked very well!

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup dutch cocoa (or European-Style)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 cup milk

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs, separated

Heat oven to 350F. Butter 6-cup soufflé dish (or mugs); coat with 1 tablespoon sugar. In medium bowl, combine cocoa and flour. Add butter; blend well. Set aside. In medium saucepan, heat milk until very hot. Reduce heat; add cocoa mixture, beating with wire whisk until smooth and thick.

Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Cool slightly. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Cool to room temperature.

In large mixer bowl, beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff.

Stir small amount beaten whites into chocolate mixture; fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites.

 

Carefully pour into prepared dish. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until puffed (or if making individual soufflés, bake 20 to 25 minutes). 

They start to deflate very quickly!

 

The cookbook suggests serving with vanilla ice cream, but I thought they went perfectly with whipped cream.