Chocolate Bouchons

While they don't have the traditional "cork" shape, these muffins do share the dense, intensely chocolaty taste of Chocolate Bouchons. Traditionally made in small, deep timbale molds, this recipe produces dense little chocolate cakes, studded with chocolate chips. A long time family favorite, I make these indulgences in mini-muffin pans with mini chips. Even just one (two bites) is highly satisfying.

The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Paris Boulangerie Patisserie: Recipes from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries. I used Scharffen Berger cocoa powder with rich results.

Chocolate Bouchons:

4 eggs
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1-1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a mini muffin pan.

Whisk together the egg and sugar until well blended. Whisk in the softened butter and cocoa until blended (the recipe says until smooth, but when I make these there's always little lumps of butter, which has never been a problem in the final result). Stir in the flour until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon into the mini muffin pans and bake for about 10 minutes (full-sized muffins take about 15-18 minutes), until a toothpick in the center comes clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then place on a wire rack to cool.