- 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup bread flour, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
- ¼ cup (roughly) granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or the seeds of ¼ of a vanilla bean, or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 recipe Soufflé Base
- 2 large egg yolks, warmed to room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons cocoa powder
- 4 large egg whites, warmed to room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Sifter
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer
- Pastry brush
- Whisk
- Ramekins for the individual soufflés
- Prep: Take your eggs and butter out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before you plan to prepare the soufflés.
- To Prepare the Soufflé Base:
- Sift the bread flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer), mix together the butter and sugar.
- Add in the sifted flour, stirring until it is barely mixed together. The mixture should have a coarse, clumpy appearance. Transfer this mixture to a clean mixing bowl and set aside.
- To Make the Soufflés:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Using a pastry brush, line the ramekins with softened butter and then sprinkle them with the ¼ cup granulated sugar for sprinkling. Pour out any excess sugar that doesn’t stick to the butter.
- In a saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla paste to a boil. Add the soufflé base to the pan, and whisk the mixture together rapidly for about 20 seconds.
- Remove the mixture from heat and transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Gently stir in the egg yolks. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Combine the remaining granulated sugar, corn starch, and cocoa powder.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and salt together until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold the granulated sugar-cocoa powder mixture into the whipped egg whites. Then, fold the soufflé mixture into the combined egg white-cocoa powder mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the ramekins until each is ¾ of the way full. Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes, and the soufflés have risen high beyond the ramekins’ rims.