This post is sponsored by Chino Valley Ranchers. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Browned Butter Blondie possible.
If you’d asked me ten years ago whether or not I ever thought I would have a coop full of chickens, I would have looked you straight in the eye and said you were crazy. But here I sit writing a blog post all about chickens and the many things to love about farm fresh eggs. Crazier things have happened but the fact that I have a chicken coop right in our backyard is pretty up there on the crazy list. Truth be told, my family thought I was nuts too when I brought up the idea years ago. Since we live on an acre and half with an orchard full of fruit trees right outside our door, I figured having a chicken coop to provide fresh eggs every day seemed like the natural thing to do. One “Cutest Chicken Coops” Pinterest board later and we’ve got ourselves a bona fide hen house.
We’ve had many chickens nesting in our coop over the years and next to the fresh eggs every morning, the best thing about having chickens is naming them. We have Pepper and Rocky, Tikka Masala and Fluffy. Waffles is the oldest and also the cutest if you ask me. But Betty is my favorite. Named after Betty Crocker, of course. These feathered friends aren’t the smartest birds around but they’ve become part of the family.
Some of our chickens have passed on to greener pastures so to speak and others are getting up there in years and they don’t lay eggs as regularly as they used to. I can easily go through a dozen eggs a day working as a blogger and recipe developer so I find myself supplementing with store bought eggs more often than not these days. It’s important to me to find eggs that are the same quality as the ones I can get from my very own backyard. Thanks to my friends at Chino Valley Ranchers, I can get cage free eggs at the local market whenever I need them. Chino Valley Ranchers raises happy, healthy birds that are cage free from day one and produce the freshest, highest quality eggs out there. They’ve been a family owned company for three generations and their commitment to treating their hens with kindness is something to be valued.
Being the chicken lover that I am, I was thrilled when Chino Valley Ranchers asked me to create a recipe for them using their 100% organic, pasture raised eggs. Naturally my baker brain went right to something chocolatey. These individual Flourless Molten Chocolate Cakes are perfect for a little dinner party we are throwing this weekend. But they are just as good for a Netflix & Chill kinda Friday night on the sofa. They are really easy to throw together with simple ingredients in no time and they bake up in less than fifteen minutes. You pretty much have no excuse not to make these. {wink, wink}
To make these personal sized molten cakes, first we start by melting the butter and chocolate. Don’t skimp on the good stuff here. Organic butter and high quality chocolate make all the difference in this recipe. Melt until smooth and set aside to cool for a bit so you don’t cook your eggs right in the mixing bowl. Next we’ll mix the sugar and egg yolks until nice and thick. After adding the cooled chocolate mixture you’ll gently fold in a batch of perfectly beaten egg whites. This is my favorite part…is it just me or isn’t there something so therapeutic about folding in egg whites?? Just me? Mmmkay.
Believe it or not, that’s it! Just thirteen-ish minutes in the oven and you’ll want to grab a spoon and deep dive right into one of these warm and gooey cakes. Such a simple recipe that does kind of require an extra bowl or two, but guys….it’s SO worth it! Trust me. I’ve topped mine with a bit of extra cocoa powder and coffee bean ice cream because coffee and chocolate together are life. Seriously, best combo ever! But you could also top these with a simple dusting of confectioner’s sugar or some freshly whipped cream and berries would be mega delish too.
Any way you top them, these Flourless Molten Chocolate cakes are are pure chocolate heaven! I know I say that about a lot of my recipes, but I really mean it friends. Make these. You won’t be sorry. And because they are baked in individual ramekins or coquettes, you don’t even have to feel bad about not sharing.
I hope you’ll bookmark this recipe and make these Warm Molten Chocolate Cakes soon. They won’t last ten minutes in your kitchen, promise! If you do make these little cakes, or any other recipe from the blog, be sure to tag @brownedbutterblondie on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re baking up in your kitchens. And don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest here for all the latest recipe details straight from the blog. Have the very best weekend…hope it involves lots of chocolate.
Happy Baking!
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 4 large egg yolks {I use Chino Valley Rancher's Organic Pasture Raised Eggs}
- 3 TBSP light brown sugar
- 3 large egg whites {I use Chino Valley Rancher's Organic Pasture Raised Eggs}
- 3 TBSP granulated sugar
- 2 TBSP Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lightly butter 6 ramekins and dust with cocoa powder.
- Set aside on a baking sheet.
- Over a double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter, whisking until mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Remove from heat and add in vanilla and salt.
- Whisk until combined and set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together egg yolks, brown sugar and the cocoa on medium-high speed.
- Mix until fully combined and thick, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined.
- The batter will be thick.
- In a clean bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy and thick.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until firm, glossy peaks form.
- Remove from mixer and stir half of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, combining quickly until barely blended.
- Add remaining egg white mixture and fold gently until fully combined.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared ramekins.
- Bake on a cookie sheet in center rack of oven for 12-14 minutes, until tops are cracked and puffy.
- Cakes will appear fudgey in center and toothpick will not come out clean.
- Serve warm with ice cream or freshly whipped cream and berries.
**Chino Valley Rancher’s Organic Pasture Raised Eggs can be found at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts.
***A similar recipe can be found here from Williams Sonoma.
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