Flourless Chocolate Fondant Bites
Dense, fudgy chocolate bites baked in a muffin tin with a pinch of salt to sharpen the chocolate. No leavening needed, so they stay rich and fondant in the middle.
- Total
- 39 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 14 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Whisking · Folding
- Sweet
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 175°C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
~10 min
-
Put 200 g chocolate chips and 100 g butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set it in the oven for 4 minutes, until both are fully melted, then stir smooth with a wooden spoon.
~4 min
Gentle oven heat melts chocolate and butter without scorching, and stirring smooth keeps the mixture emulsified.
-
While step 2 cooks
Whisk 3 eggs with 100 g sugar and 0.5 tsp salt in a small bowl for 2 minutes, until pale and slightly thickened.
~2 min
Whisking eggs and sugar aerates them, helping the bites puff slightly and set with a tender crust.
Whisking Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, then whisk into chocolate until glossy; stop as soon as it is smooth to avoid over-aerating.
-
Pour the egg mixture into the warm chocolate and whisk until glossy. Fold in 60 g flour, then stir in 2 tbsp water to loosen the batter to a thick, spoonable consistency.
~4 min
Folding flour gently avoids toughening the batter, while water loosens it so it spoons easily without overmixing.
Whisking Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, then whisk into chocolate until glossy; stop as soon as it is smooth to avoid over-aerating.
Folding Fold flour in with a spatula, cutting down and turning gently, just until no dry streaks remain; overmixing develops gluten and makes the bites tough.
-
Divide the batter between the 12 liners, filling each about three quarters full. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are set and a skewer inserted at the edge comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
~14 min
Pulling them when the edge is set but the center is moist keeps the middle fondant as they carryover-cook.
Pull the tin from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone; they firm up as they cool, which keeps the middle fondant instead of dry.
-
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift the bites onto a wire rack. Serve warm while the centers are still soft.
~10 min
Cooling in the tin lets the fragile bites firm up so they lift out cleanly without collapsing.