Warm Molten Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (250 g) bittersweer chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons (2 1/2 oz/75 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting.
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400F (200C) Lightly grease six 3/4-cup (6-fl oz/180-ml) ramekins and dust with cocoa. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet. I had a little bit of trouble dusting the ramekins, the cocoa just stuck to the butter and wouldn't move, so I did the best I could.

In the top of a double boiler (helpful tips), combine the chocolate and butter. Set over barely simmering water and melt. It took me forever to chop the chocolate so to save time i suggest just using a grater to grate the chocolate small enough to melt quickly. 

Then whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, then set aside to cool. Be careful, when I added the vanilla it started popping when it touched the hot chocolate.

In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the egg yolks, half of the sugar (3 tablespoons), the two table spoons of cocoa, and the zest (if using), until thick. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture and beat until well blended. The mixture will be very thick. When I was separating the egg yolks from the whites I saved 3 out of 4 of the egg whites to use later in the recipe so I didn't have to waste more eggs, and by the time you need them they will be at room temperature. I threw the final egg white out.

In a bowl using clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until very foamy and thick. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and increase the speed to high. Continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form. I tried to whisk the egg whites and sugar into glossy peaks by hand but it was taking a really long time just to get it to start forming so I moved it into the mixing bowl and used the mixer. 

Glossy Peaks

Spoon half of the beaten whites onto the chocolate mixture and whisk until just blended. Add the remaining whites and stir gently until just blended. 

Spoon into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly. This got messy for me and the batter did not go in as easily as desired. 

Bake the cakes until they are puffed and the tops are cracked, 13 minutes, The inside of the cracks will look very wet. Remove from oven and serve immediately in the ramekins or, run a small knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the cake and invert the cakes onto individual plate. It took mine 9 extra minutes to bake before they were fully done.

My experience:

I thought this recipe was going to be a lot harder then it was. I haven't made these before so I had no idea what to expect. I didn't have a lot of difficulties with these except they didn't puff up and much as I would have liked them too. I didn't serve them with any special sauces on top, but if I were to make them again I probably would do something like a raspberry coulis or creme anglaise. However it was a fun and easy recipe if you don't mind a bit of a chocolate mess! 

Helpful Tips:

Double Boilers: A double boiler cooks food gently on the stove top. Consisting of two nesting saucepans, double boilers are widely available, but a make shift one is easy to assemble. Choose a sauce pan and a heat proof bowl that rests securely in the top. Fill the saucepan with water a depth of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). One the bowl is placed on top of the pan the water must not touch it. Remember that boiling water bubbles up so check the water level before setting the bowl in place. Bring the water to a boil, set the bowl in place, and reduce the heat so the water simmers gently.

Enjoy! xx   

      

Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 3 oz (90 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (7 oz/122 g) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (3 oz/90 g) cake (soft-wheat) flour, sifted
• 3/4 cup (4 1/2 oz/ 140 g) chocolate chips of your choosing (milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, semisweet) (optional)

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish, preferably glass. Make sure you grease up the sides of the baking dish too, because the brownies rise a bit higher up the sides.

In a sauce pan over low heat, combine the butter and chopped unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. It took me a little longer than four minutes to get it all the way melted, not to much longer though. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. I suggest doing this in a different bowl, not in the sauce pan. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. I sifted 1/4 of the flour in at a time so it wouldn't be too much mixing all at once. Next add the chocolate chips, if using. I just did semisweet chocolate chips, but I think peanut butter would have made them even better because all the chocolate was a little overwhelming.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. It took mine 5 extra minutes to bake in the glass dish I was using. Do not over bake, the brownies will get really hard when cooled if over baked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares. You should end up with 9 brownies.

My Experience:

I have still been stressed out with school and all that so I thought brownies would be another great and easy recipe! I didn't have many problems with this recipe, and it didn't take a long time to make them. I did feel like they were too chocolaty when I added the semisweet chocolate chips so I think if I were to make this recipe again I would use a different type of chocolate chips to balance out the flavor. Also I know I should have taken more pictures I just forgot to until it was too late. Overall though it was a great recipe and they tasted good too!

Enjoy!xx

 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 oz (30g) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (4 1/2 oz/140 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
•  2/3 cup (5 1/3 oz/165 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 oz/185 g) bitter-sweet or semisweet (plain) chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (2 oz/go g) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) 

Directions:

Gather Ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350F  (180C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler (Double boiler: a pot of water with a glass or metal bowl that can fit just over the pot) Set over simmering water and melt, whisking until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended. In another bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well blended and fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir until almost blended. Add the chocolate chips and, if using, the walnuts or pecans. Continue stirring until well blended.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart. 

Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until they are puffed but still look moist on top, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on racks the room temperature. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

My Experience:

I have been busy and exhausted so I decided to go with something easier this week. I thought these cookies would be perfect to do! It didn't take that much time or energy to do at all! It was fun to use a double boiler because I don't generally work with them that often. I had a few off things about the cookies though. I put in two extra tablespoons of butter due to exhaustion and not paying enough attention, and I also only had 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla instead of 1 teaspoon, but the cookies came out super good so I suppose that didn't matter so much. Baking is about experimenting so a few slip ups aren't so bad.

Enjoy!xx