Crotins au Chocolat

Making Crotins au Chocolat

These unusual yeast-raised sweet muffins are unlike any other chocolate cake or bread you’ve ever eaten. Vaguely fluffy when warm, they settle down as they cool to become a bit denser and more decadent-feeling. Though not nearly as decadent as a flourless cake they’re definitely a chocolate kick-in-the-pants, as Mrs. Pastry likes to say, with little bombs of melty goodness throughout. Start by assembling your ingredients and preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin with the sponge. Whisk together the flour, sugar and yeast in a medium bowl.

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No, not crottins with two t’s, those are, er…something else. A recipe that’s very similar to this one appears in Nancy Silverton’s excellent Pastries from the La Brea Bakery. I changed it slightly to accommodate instant yeast. Her crotins are a chocolate body blow…for certifiable chocolate fiends only. They’re not terribly sweet, and that heightens the impression that you’re eating almost pure chocolate, just in muffin form. You’ll need:

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