Old Faithful Chocolate Soufflé

This recipe is idiot-proof. Don't be scared. If you follow the instructions and you'll have fluffy, chocolaty, melt in your mouth goodness - guaranteed. As James Beard says, "the only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if you're afraid of it". I promise this is SO much easier than it looks and guaranteed to impress at a dinner party.

Disclaimer: This is for a SINGLE soufflé. I put this batter in one ramekin to serve two people for dessert. Double the recipe if you're having dinner for 4... so on so forth.

Key Tips/Tricks:

• You must use a ramekin. 1 cup is the idea size. Don't futz with it.

• Position the oven rack on the bottom rung.

• You NEED a mixer or hand-blender. I tried to do this too many times by hand and failed. Mine was $29.99 on Amazon. It is worth it.

• Cream or tartar makes a big difference - it's worth buying

• Coating the inside of the ramekin with butter & sugar helps the souffle stick to the ramekin and rise over the surface.

• This soufflé is amazing with a white chocolate sauce inside. If you're interested, comment or message me for this recipe. It's also delicious on it's own.

What you need:

• 4 tbsp butter (half a stick)

• 1/4 cup of ordinary white sugar + a bit for sprinkling inside of ramekin

• 1 egg yolk (reserve white for below)

• 2 egg whites

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• Powdered sugar for sprinkling

• Really yummy chocolate (about 2 oz) - I usually use the chips/chunks I have in my pantry for my chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes, I'll add a pinch of gourmet cocoa if I have some.

The Low Down:

• First, preheat oven to 400F and move rack to the bottom.

• Prep your ramekins. Rub melted butter on the inside of each and sprinkle with sugar. Put in fridge while you wait. This is really important.

• Make the base of the soufflé. If you're trying to time this... make the base before dinner and the fluffy stuff after dinner. For the base, melt the chocolate and 3 tbsp of butter in a microwavable bowl until melted. I usually do 30 seconds at a time and then stir to make sure it doesn't dry out. Add the egg yolk, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Whisk and keep on the counter at room temp. Yes... it's that easy.

• When you're about 20 min until dessert, make the fluff. Place 2 egg whites in a bowl and using your hand mixer, mix on high speed until they start to foam a little bit. Ad the 1/2 tsp cream of tartar at that point and continue to whip on high for about 60 seconds. From there, slowly add the sugar until the egg whites get super fluffy and cloud-like. I usually can't resist eating them but it's like straight protein so I justify it....

• Take one big spoonful of whites and drop it into the chocolate. Now, use a rubber spatula and slowly "fold" the whites into the chocolate. Do this by going under the chocolate with the rubber spatula and literally flipping it almost like you would a pancake. You never want to stir it too hard or the egg whites will deflate and the soufflé won't fluff. Slowly fold the rest of the egg whites in the same way. When you're done, the batter will be chocolatey looking but you may see some streaks of white in there still, kind of like marble brownies.

• Pour the mixture in the ramekin and use the rubber spatula to flatten the top. It MUST be filled to the top or it won't work.

• Put the ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet to make it easy to handle in and out of the oven.

• Before it goes in, take your thumb and run it around the top of the soufflé, almost like a moat in a sand castle. This will help it rise.

• Bake for exactly 13.5 minutes. I have no idea but it works for me.

• Take it out, take a picture really fast before it deflates and sprinkle powdered sugar to serve!

Yum. I want another one. Now.

#souffle #chocolatesouffle #baking #healthychocolatesouffle