Bouchons – The French Chocolate “Thimble”
Servings
24
servingsThis recipe from genius chef Thomas Keller is simple to make but difficult to describe. The perfect bite of chocolate. Brownie-esque but lighter. The density of a flourless cake but firmer. Impossibly rich with the exact right amount of sweetness. Just make it yourself and find out.
The very best way is to buy the flexible bouchon molds which require no preparation. Next best would be a small popover or timbale pan.
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1 cup dark cocoa
1 tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs
1½ cup plus 3 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract (or paste)
24 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and just slightly warm
6 oz semisweet chocolate mini chips
confectioners’ suga
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
- Mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until thick and pale. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to a day.)
- Put the molds on a baking sheet and fill each about ⅔ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test. Pick should come out clean but not dry. Transfer to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the molds and let the bouchons cool upside down. Lift off the molds.
- To serve, dust them with confectioners’ sugar. The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.