Dark Chocolate Soufflés

Three Dark Chocolate Souffles sit on a baking sheet

Celebrate Valentine's Day with these gooey, decadent and delicious Dark Chocolate Soufflés, which come together quickly and bake up nicely. The perfect dessert if you're holding a stay-at-home Valentine's celebration this year!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 16

Total Time 36

Servings 7 oz. soufflés

Calories 410kcal

Ingredients

6 oz. dark chocolate
¼ cup half-and-half
1 large egg yolk
A pinch of kosher salt
3 egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon granulated sugar plus additional sugar to prep the baking dishes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F, and position a baking rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the ramekins: Spray three 7 oz. ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. (You can also use softened unsalted butter.) Sprinkle in some sugar and tilt the dishes to coat the inside completely. Tap to remove excess sugar. Arrange the prepared baking dishes on a baking sheet, and set aside.
Fill a saucepan halfway full and bring the water to a simmer over high heat.
Combine the chocolate and half-and-half in a large heat-safe bowl that fits over the saucepan. When the water is simmering, set the bowl over the saucepan to create a double boiler. Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.
Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat the egg whites until they have formed soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar, and beat again until the egg whites form hard peaks. Set aside.
Stir the egg yolk and salt into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture, stirring quickly so the yolk doesn't scramble.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. This is very important because if you overmix the batter, your souffles won't rise as much!
Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. You can fill them to the top!
Bake the souffles until they have risen a lot and the tops are firm to the touch, about 14-16 minutes. If you can peek at your souffles without opening the oven door, do this around the 10-11 minute mark to check the rise.
Serve the souffles immediately, sprinkling with powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit or simply by themselves!

Notes

Adapted from Bon Apetit's Milk Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip.

This recipe can be made into FOUR smaller souffles. I just happened to use my 7 oz. souffle dishes, and it worked beautifully. That said, they are VERY rich, and a smaller serving might be a good idea if you aren't a chocoholic.

A note on the chocolate:

I normally purchase a nice dark chocolate bar at the store, but you can use dark chocolate chips if you have those!
Choose a chocolate that you enjoy eating. These chocolate souffles are intensely chocolately, so you want to like the flavor, and some dark chocolates can veer toward bitter, depending on your tastebuds and personal taste.

Nutrition