Hearts and Chocolate! Not just for Valentine's Day...

Chocolate Molten Hearts

You know those days when you need a bit of chocolate?  These little treats are just the ticket for a day like that! They are really quite simple to make but they feel like a luxury to eat.  The chocolate flavor is very rich and the texture is somewhere between fluffy and fudgy.  The middle is a bit soft and melty as long as you don't overcook them and they are just as good the next day.  I can't say how they taste two days later because they didn't last that long.  

These are just adorable in the heart shapes, but could also be cooked in regular cupcake tins. You can eat them with your hands, just like a brownie and they would be a great treat for a picnic or an after school snack.The recipe came with the pan (from Nordic Ware), except there was a misprint and it did not have the amount of flour listed.  I had to guess on that one by looking at similar recipes.  You can use whole wheat flour if you want - the chocolate is so dominant and the amount of flour is so small you can go 100% whole wheat with no one noticing the difference in taste or texture.

Incredients:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
14 tablespoons butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk
2 cups powdered sugar (plus more to dust on top after they cool)
1/2 cup flour (could be whole wheat)

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease your muffin/heart pan.  Melt chocolate or butter together in saucepan, stirring constantly over low heat (or you can use the microwave).  Remove from heat and cool slightly (about 5 minutes, while you crack your eggs).  Add the rest of the ingredients to the melted chocolate/butter.  Spoon into the muffin tins, dividing up equally into all twelve tins and put them in the preheated oven. You will want to take them out while the centers are still soft and runny.  That will take about 8 minutes, but check them after 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven, loosen the edges and immediately flip them out of the pan onto a plate or cutting board.  Let them cool a bit and then eat them!  You can sprinkle them with some more powdered sugar or you could serve them warm with ice cream - YUM!!!

Give these a try - you won't regret it!