Individual French Chocolate Soufflé Desserts

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 05/4/22
Chocolate Souffle

 

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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings

The best first French recipe to learn must be a simple chocolate soufflé. The soufflé is a magical, airy, delicious, and complex confection that perfectly rounds out any meal. Served fresh out of the oven, it delights young children and will definitely impress your dinner guests.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding making a soufflé, mainly that it is difficult; it isn't. In fact, they are very easy to make by following a few simple techniques and a good recipe, like this one.

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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup sugar

  • 2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling

  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely

  • 3 large egg yolks, room temperature

  • 6 large egg whites, room temperature

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • Confectioners' sugar, or cocoa, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter 6 individual soufflé ramekins and sprinkle with sugar; set aside.

  2. Melt chocolate pieces in a metal bowl over barely simmering water, continuously stirring. (Even a small amount of overheated chocolate will ruin an entire recipe.) Once the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from heat and stir in the egg yolks.

  3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt on medium-high speed until they hold soft glossy peaks. Continue beating egg whites on high speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, until the egg whites hold stiff glossy peaks.

  4. Gently stir 1/3 of the eggs whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites. The chocolate mixture should be light and bubbly and even colored, without egg white streaks.

  5. Spoon your soufflé mixture into the prepared ramekins and allow to rest for up to 30 minutes or bake right away for 12 to 15 minutes (slightly longer at high altitudes) until risen with a crusty exterior. Serve with a dusting of cocoa or powdered sugar if desired.

Tips

  • A soufflé should be assembled as quickly as possible. So before you start preparing your soufflé, weigh up and measure out all your ingredients; doing this will speed up the preparation time. 
  • Egg whites will not rise if the bowl or utensils you use are greasy. So, make sure all the equipment you are using is clean and grease free. 
  • All ingredients, particularly the eggs, need to be room temperature. Do not use cold eggs.
  • Prepare your soufflé dishes, either large or individual ones, by greasing them before you start making the soufflé mixture; this once again speeds up the whole process. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
312 Calories
19g Fat
24g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 312
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 134mg 45%
Sodium 150mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 45mg 3%
Iron 5mg 26%
Potassium 289mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)