Servings: 3 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
Richer than a cupcake but lighter than a brownie. These two-bite chocolate cakes are perfect just as they are, but you can also doll them up with frosting. Don’t substitute standard-size muffin pans, because they don’t bake properly as full-size cupcakes.
Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp natural nonalkalized
cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 1/3 cups (9.33 oz) sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 lg eggs
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62% cacao), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
Line 3 miniature cupcake pans with 12 cups each. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Place the butter and chocolate in a medium to large heatproof bowl set directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are melted and quite warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the water bath. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well to blend each before adding the next. Add the flour mixture and whisk just until smooth and blended, not longer. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter into each muffin cup-the batter will come almost to the top of each liner. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Rotate the pans from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Cool the cakes on a rack. May be kept in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir gently until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool the ganache at room temperature (without stirring) until it is thick enough to spread or pipe. May be covered and refrigerated for at least 1 week.
To soften chilled ganache, set the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water or microwave on low for a few seconds at a time until soft and spreadable. Spread about 2 1/2 teaspoons of ganache between two 1 1/2- to 3-inch cookies or pipe into thumbprint cookies.