February 28 is National Chocolate Soufflé Day.
In honor of that decadent day, I'm sharing a recipe that cuts back on the portion size, calories, and saturated fat. The Mini Chocolate soufflé is more like a gluten-free lava cake, and works as a vegan dessert without nuts (for those with tree nut or peanut allergies).
Using Canola oil instead of butter, the soufflé provides some heart-healthy fats (MUFAS & PUFAS) as well as the benefits of dark chocolate. One cake is a good source of protein and calcium, and an excellent source of iron.
This is not to say this is a "healthy" recipe, however, it is a treat modified so it doesn't spike your blood sugar and cholesterol levels as much as the original version. The saturated fat and sugar content are high enough to caution against eating more than one!
Feel free to make substitutions as needed, such as choosing the flour, milk, and sweetener you prefer.
Without further ado, here is the recipe.
Mini Chocolate Soufflés
Yield: 4 soufflés Serving Size: 1 soufflé
Prep Time: 10 mins. Bake Time: 20 mins. Cool Time: 10 mins. Total Time: 40 mins.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
½ cup gluten-free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mills 1:1 all-purpose baking flour)
¼ cup cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed; Dutch removes many of the nutrients)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ cup Canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (or Kahlua if you don't have vanilla)
¾ cup milk (any kind)
4 oz. dark chocolate bar (at least 70% cacao)
Optional toppings: ice cream, raspberry, powdered sugar, and/or mint leaf
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray four wells of a muffin tin with non-stick spray, or grease well with butter/oil.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl, ensuring there are no lumps.
Add the oil and vanilla and whisk again.
Continue whisking as you gradually pour in the milk.
Once fully combined, pour the batter into the four greased muffin tin wells.
Add a 1 oz. square of chocolate to the center of each well and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool about 10 minutes before flipping the pan to remove the mini soufflés. (You may need to loosen each cake by running a butter knife around the edges.)
Serve warm and optionally top with ice cream, powdered sugar, a raspberry and/or a mint leaf if desired.
Nutrition (per soufflé):
479 Calories; 57g Carbs; 32g Total Sugars; 2g Fiber; 25g Added Sugar; 5g Protein; 28g Fat; 9g Saturated Fat; 9g Monounsaturated Fats; 4g Polyunsaturated Fats; 0mg Cholesterol; 8% Sodium; 5% Potassium; 15% Calcium; 22% Iron
Nutrition calculated using: white granulated sugar, unsweetened almond milk, and 70% dark chocolate.
For nutrition coaching, make a virtual appointment with a Registered Dietitian at ZEST Nutrition.