Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- almost 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon chocolate extract (can substitute in vanilla)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Chocolate Mousse
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 large eggs, separated and whites placed in the fridge for another use
- 3 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
Coating
- 1 cup chopped chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
- Bring a pot with 1” of water to a simmer – you’re going to be creating a double boiler (use a double boiler if you have one).
- In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt.
- Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Do not let your bowl touch the water.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; set aside.
- Using that same simmering water, put your chocolate in a bowl and set atop of it and heat until melted.
- Beat the egg yolk mixture until it is slightly thickened and paler yellow, and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl ~ 3 minutes.
- Remove the mixer bowl from the stand.
- Add the warm melted chocolate and whisk by hand until smooth; set aside
- Either with your stand mixer with the whisk attachment or hand mixer with beaters, pour the cream into a bowl and beat until medium peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until there are no visible streaks of white.
- Place the mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or place it in a large plastic baggie leaving room at the one tip to snip off later.
- Place the bag into the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle.
- Spray 2 cupcake pans lightly with cooking spray.
- In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler stirring occasionally. Essentially you want to bring about 1” of water to a simmer then place your bowl that has the butter and chocolate in it over top but NOT touching the water.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Stir in the sugar, salt, and chocolate extract.
- With a sturdy mixing spoon, beat the eggs in one at a time until blended.
- Add flour, espresso, baking powder and cocoa and beat until the batter is just smooth. Don’t overmix.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake wells about 2/3’s up.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean – a few moist crumbs are okay.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and take a tart shaper (or something that is about the size of a quarter in diameter) and press down in the center of the brownies making sure not to go all the way down. You are creating the well.
- While cooling take a thin blade and go along the edges to loosen.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and carefully remove the brownie cups from the pans.
- Cool completely on the rack.
- Place a 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate inside the cups and swirl around to coat the inside. You may need to use a spoon for this.
- When all the centers are coated, carefully dip the tops of the cups in the melted chocolate letting any excess drip off.
- When the chocolate has set, pipe in the chocolate mousse.
- Top with shaved chocolate.