Chocolate Bouchon Recipe

Yum! The chocolate bouchon recipe. If you’ve ever been to the Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Las Vegas or New York you may know what we're talking about. “Bouchon” is the French word for corks, from which they take their shape. These little guys have the consistency of brownies, but taste 1000 times better. Top them off with a dusting of powdered sugar. They’re adorable in any display. William Sonoma even has their own Bouchon mold and mix. You could make your own!

Here is a DIY chocolate bouchon recipe from Bouchon by Thomas Keller and Jeffrey Cerciello (Artisan, 2004).

Butter and flour (to prepare molds)
3 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (12 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and just slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (Vahlrona or Scharffenberger or Lindt will do just fine), chopped into pieces the size of chocolate chips
Confectioner's sugar

Note: Bouchon uses 2-ounce Fleximolds. He says you can also use 3-ounce fleximolds. Fleximolds are timbale molds, which are small shaped molds, that may have short or high sides which taper slightly toward the bottom. The Timbale Mold may be round or oval and is often referred to as a tart or tartlett mold. Again, William Sonoma sells "Bouchon molds", check these out.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour twelve molds. Set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in another large bowl if using a handhels mixer, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very pale in color. 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 timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold about two-thirds full. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test one cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick: It should come out clean but not dry (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate). Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the timbale molds and let the bouchons cool upside down in the molds; then lift off the molds. (The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.)

TO SERVE: Invert the bouchons and dust them with confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder or cinnamon. Serve with ice cream, if desired.