In this Instructable, I will show you how to make a chocolate souffle at home from scratch. This easy homemade chocolate souffle recipe is absolutely amazing. It is such an impressive dessert that you can make for your friends and family for a special someone. Don't let this dessert intimidate you, it is actually fairly simple to make. If I can do it, you can do it. Let's get baking!

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Follow the easy steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both!

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of chopped room temperature chocolate or chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk, etc.)(60g)
1 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted (14g)
1 tbsp all-purpose/plain flour (8g)
1/3 cup cold milk, whole, 2%, etc. (80ml)
Pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 room temperature egg whites from large eggs
1/4 tsp. of cream of tartar (1g)
2 tbsp white granulated sugar (25g)
Powdered sugar for topping
Butter and sugar for the ramekins

Tools:

2 6-oz ramekins
Bowls
Skillet
Whisk
Fork
Spatula
Basting brush
Hand or stand mixer
Sheet pan
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Basting brush

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Step 2: Prep the Ramekins

Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C.

Time to prepare the ramekins. I always prepare 2 of my 6oz ramekins and 1 of my 4oz ramekins. If I wind up with any leftover batter, I put it in the smaller ramekin.

Take a basting brush and dip it in softened or slightly melted butter. Brush the whole inside of the ramekin. I learned somewhere that verticle strokes on the sides help the souffle rise a little better.

Then add in a few tablespoons of white granulated sugar, tilt and turn the ramekin to make sure the whole inside is covered, then pour the sugar into the next ramekin and repeat.

The butter and sugar help allow the chocolate souffle to glide up the sides of the ramekin when baking.

Place the prepped ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Technically you can just place them right on the pan itself, but I always add that little bit of a buffer between the ramekins and the pan.

Step 3: Chop That Chocolate

Now take room temperature chocolate and chop it up into little chunks. You can also use chocolate chips. I typically use nice dark chocolate like the "Special Dark" Hershey's brand, or a nice 70% Lindt bar, or something. But you can pretty much use whatever chocolate you like. You just need right around 1/2 cup worth or about 2 oz.

Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside for now.

Step 4: Make That Roux

Time to make a roux. No, we aren't making gravy...haha.

Add the one tablespoon of butter to a small skillet. Set the heat to medium and allow the butter to melt completely.

Then add in the flour a little bit at a time while whisking at the same time until the flour is incorporated. Then cook the mixture while whisking for about 1 minute or so.

Turn the heat down to low, and then pour in the cold milk, while whisking, the cold milk helps prevent lumps. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and is silky smooth, it will take 3 to 5 minutes or so.

Step 5: Chocolate Base

Now pour the hot roux into the bowl of chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute or two. The heat from the roux will melt the chocolate.

Add a pinch of salt and then stir until the roux is incorporated and the chocolate is melted. Stir in that egg yolk and the chocolate base for the souffle is complete. Set it aside for a few minutes while you beat the egg whites.

Step 6: Beat the Egg Whites

Time to beat the egg whites. Add the two room-temperature egg whites to a large bowl and then mix until frothy. Slowly beat in the cream of tartar a little bit at a time until incorporated. This helps stabilize the egg whites.

Once the cream of tartar is incorporated, mix in the two tablespoons of white granulated sugar, gradually while beating. Then continue beating/mixing until you have just shy of stiff peaks. When you pull up the beaters, the remaining peaks should every so slightly curl over. It is pretty easy to tell, but don't worry if you go a bit more or a little less.

Step 7: Finish the Chocolate Souffle Batter

Now take a little less than half of the egg whites and stir them in with the chocolate base.

After that, pour the chocolate base into the large bowl with the rest of the egg whites. Now this time, fold in the egg whites. Go underneath with the spatula and then up and over, etc. This helps to keep all that air that you beat into the egg whites in the batter. Keep folding until there are no white streaks of egg white.

The chocolate souffle batter is done and ready to go.

Step 8: Bake Those Chocolate Souffles

Now pour the batter into the ramekins all the way to the top. You may or may not need that extra small ramekin. Then pinch the very top of the ramekin and go around the whole top. Creating a small little groove all the way around. This helps the souffle to rise and helps to keep it level and not lopsided.

Bake in the oven, middle rack position for 13 to 15 minutes. Do NOT open the oven until 13 minutes. And do NOT poke it in the middle with a toothpick, haha. In my oven 14 minutes to 14:30 is perfect. There should be a slight jiggle to the top when it is done.

Remove the chocolate souffle from the oven.

Step 9: Serve It!

Dust the tops with powdered sugar or cocoa powder and serve right away. If you wait too long they will start to collapse. The consistency will be like a very light cake on the outside and top and a warm chocolate mousse on the inside, so delicious! Enjoy. :)

You may print the recipe here if you like.