I’m sure everyone knows this but Valentines Day is right around the corner. Now as a single girl I know I’m supposed to hate this holiday, but really I don’t. I think it is a beautiful day in which you can celebrate all the people you love, not just one significant other. When I was a kid my mom used to give me and my brothers adorable boxes filled with the most wonderful chocolates and candies. In all honesty this is probably the main reason that I like Valentines Day – because of all the chocolate. It is the one day of the year (well besides my birthday) where I can actually justify the amount of chocolate I eat. I would be happy without an actual Valentine, as long as I had one of those giant heart shaped boxes of chocolates to munch on all day (although those are kind of embarrassing to buy for oneself – maybe I do need a Valentine after all!)
Regardless of who you are celebrating this holiday with it is important to keep in mind that chocolate is the true star of this holiday and that is what inspired me to make these delicacies: mini molten chocolate cakes! These are probably the most delicious thing that I have ever made. In case you have been living under a rock molten chocolate cakes are only the best desserts ever and these are miniature versions that you actually don’t feel too guilty about eating (unless you were the one who made them, in which case close your eyes when measuring the ingredients!) Anyways, at first glance these appear to be bland chocolate cakes, or more likely muffins since they are baked in a muffin tray, but once you break through the external cake layer you realize they are so much more. The inside is still warm with liquid chocolate, hence the word molten, making them truly irresistible.
I have a confession to make before I divulge the recipe. I accidentally bought salted chocolate bars and being the lazy person that I am I used them instead of returning to the store for new ones I used them, and I have to say I think this made them even more delicious. My mother and I are huge fans of salted desserts, and we have stacks and stacks of Lindt Sea Salt Chocolate bars in our fridge at home so I thought to myself why not give this a try? They really did turn out the be wonderful, the salt helps bring out the richness of the chocolate, while simultaneously cutting down on the overpowering sweetness of the dessert giving everything a nice balance. Honestly I would recommend using salted chocolate bars but if you are somewhat hesitant I’m sure they would still be delicious with regular chocolate as well.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup of unsalted butter
8 ounces of semi sweet (salted!) chocolate
5 large eggs
½ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt (omit this if you use the salted chocolate)
4 tsp. of flour
Directions
Preheat the over to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a double broiler until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. While the chocolate mixture is cooling mix together whisk together sugar, eggs and salt in a separate bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate one and mix until well combined, then add in the flour and lightly mix. Line a regular muffin tray with 8 liners and fill almost to the top. Place on the middle rack of the over and bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove when cakes look baked but are still a little jiggly. Remove from tray and serve immediately. Vanilla ice cream compliments them very nicely incase you were looking for a way to fancy this up on Valentines day. Enjoy!
