Mini Chocolate Molten Cakes

Ok, you can't win them ALL, the Prime Rib was cooked to perfection, but these badboys stayed in the oven just one minute too long and were not really very lava-y in the center. Gooey, but not LAVA-Y. I really don't have any complaints though- they were ultra delicious and I know they will be perfect and uber-oozy the next time I make them. These are a FANTASTIC dinner party desert, not at all too difficult to whip up, and once you have prepared the flour-less batter, it can go into the muffin tin and into the fridge from 1-24 hours prior to baking time, which ROCKS! I made them earlier in the day, into the fridge they went, then as we finished dinner and sat around drinking wine- I popped them into the oven, 13 (shoulda been 12) minutes later- YUM!




I was also very excited to make these because this is the first item I have cooked out of one of my FAVORITE wedding presents- "The Joy of Cooking"...growing up this was the quintessential cookbook in our house (of course as second place to the Ohio State University notebook with hand-written gems and years of collected recipes that is my mothers Bible of Cooking. I always remember the red and white guide to damn-near-everything-kitchen-related and it being my mom's go-to when she was getting creative, since you couldn't really hop on Google or All Recipes back then...


Mini Chocolate Molten Cakes
Source: 75th Anniversary Edition of The Joy of Cooking, pg 729
Serves: 8,original recipe shown (I halved it and it still worked perfectly!)
6oz bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 T unsalted butter
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 T sugar

Place chocolate and butter using a double boiler (or a big pot with simmering water on the burner and a smaller sauce pot with the chocolate in it held over the simmering water) and melt, stirring often.
Remove from heat and sift in cocoa, stir until smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating on high speed until peaks are stiff, but not dry. Use a rubber spatula to fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining whites. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 7-8 minutes (cracked on top but still gooey in the center)Let sit 2-3 minutes, cakes will shrink up a bit from the sides of the pan. Place rack or plate over the cakes to unmold & serve em HOT!

note: If you prepare the batter, fill the muffin tins, cover with saran or pressn'seal and refrigerate 1-24 hours, cook about 10-12 minutes.