Chocolate Souffle Muffins

OK so when I started baking, I totally wasn't planning to make these. I was cleaning out my room yesterday and found an old Pillsbury Bake-Off book that I bought from Ebay a while ago. Inspired by it's vintageness, I flipped through the pages and this stuck out to me: TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE. I was a goner, I had to make it! But since the book was published decades ago, Pillsbury wasn't still producing some of the ingredients I needed. So, I decided to take on a mission, reproduce the cake in cupcake form. My endeavor did not have the results I imagined, but the end result was yummy :) I didn't end up with tunnel-of-fudge cupcakes but with these things that looked like Chocolate Souffle Muffins. But I guarantee you they're good, I turned around to wash some dishes and 4 of them mysteriously disappeared behind my back. 

Chocolate Souffle Muffins

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/3 cup water

3 squares semi-sweet chocolate (I used a Hershey's baking bar)

Milka milk chocolate to taste (I used about 4 squares)

4 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa

2/3 cups sugar

2 cups flour (sifted)

1 Tbs. double-acting baking powder

pinch of salt

1 egg (room temperature!)

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

12 Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the butter up and melt it a small saucepan. Add the water slowly and then add the chocolate (make sure you chop up the chocolate). Then add the cocoa and sugar. Stir with a whisk for about 6-7 minutes. The sugar was to be completely dissolved. Set aside. to cool.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separately, mix the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and milk together with an electric mixer on low speed until there are no more lumps.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Then slowly and carefully pour in the wet mixture and then the COOLED chocolate mixture. Blend with mixer. The batter will be thick.  

Divide the batter evenly among 12 greased muffins tins. Place 1 Hershey Kiss  in center of each. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. A toothpicks should come out clean. (Don't place the toothpick directly in the center because of the candy).

EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS

So I know you've probably seen those "if you don't have 1 cup of arborio rice, use 1 cup of short-grained white rice!" Yes....those lists do in handy we have the urge to spontaneously try a new recipe. I was doing some grocery shopping and nearly had a heart attack when I had to swipe my credit. Creme fraiche and vanilla beans can be expensive! So in celebration of our crummy economy, I've decided to compose of a substitution list. But there's a catch, I'm only offering substitutions for expensive ingredients! I've been collecting this list for a while, copying ideas down from cookbooks and magazines. You're welcome :) 

REPLACE THIS.....................................WITH THIS
Red wine >> pure cranberry juice

White wine >> white grape juice or apple juice

Mascarpone >> cream cheese mixed with a bit of heavy cream

Buttermilk (1 cup) >> 1 cup milk + 1 Tbs. lemon juice (let stand 10 minutes)

Creme fraiche (1 cup) >> 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup heavy cream

Edamame >> green or black-eyed peas

Maple Syrup >> .brown sugar with a little water

Molasses >> honey

Cake flour (1 cup) >> 1 cup minus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

Brown sugar (1 cup, packed) >> 1 cup white sugar with 2 Tbs. honey or dark corn syrup

Macadamia nuts >> walnuts, almonds, or cashews

Fresh herbs (1 Tbs.) >> 1 tsp. dried herbs

Light corn syrup (1 cup) >> 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup water

Dark corn syrup (1 cup) >> 3/4 cup light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup honey

Allspice (1 Tbs) >> 1 tsp cinnamon with 1 tsp. nutmeg with 1 tsp. ground cloves

Vanilla bean (1-inch long) >> 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chives >> scallion greens

Poultry seasoning (1 tsp) >> 1/4 tsp. ground thyme with 3/4 tsp. ground sage

Welcome All!

Welcome to TRY EVERY FLAVOR!!! This is going to be a blog dedicated to what is in on my mind at the moment. I'm going to be sharing about my faith in Jesus Christ, my cooking adventures in the kitchen, my fashion obsessions of the moments, current events news-articles and more! 

So to start off.....I'm watching the live news conference at the White House with Press Secretary Jay Carney. There is a big debate brewing about President Obama's decision not to release the photographs of Osama Bin Laden's body. Is this decision wise? Will it contribute to our safety? I often say that you can't please everyone and no matter what decision you make, it will always be wrong in some way. 

If Obama releases the photo, there are many possible scenarios that can come out of it. Humans are visual creatures and if members of Al-Qaeda or other terrorists groups see this picture, it could infuriate them and push them towards seeking revenge (which I'm sure is already brewing). It could pose a security threat to us. According to nbcnewyork.com, New York City has been receiving more suspicious packages in the wake of Bin Laden's death. And just how gruesome are these photos? Is the administration worried that American citizens will be appalled at how much force was used against Bin Laden? Looking at the facts we know thus far, it was reported by CNN that Bin Laden was unarmed. It is still fuzzy whether Bin Laden was unarmed throughout the whole ambush or whether he was unarmed the moment he was killed. If Bin Laden was unarmed, a number of Americans could feel that Navy Seals were too forceful. Another consequence of releasing the photos could give America a bad image on the international front. In an interview Obama held with CBS News, he said "We don't trout out this stuff as trophies." Showing the photos could be perceived by others as America going "We're big and you're small. We're smart and you're dumb. We're right and you're wrong." We already have a negative image in the eyes of many foreign nations and this is a way of kind of "showing off."

On the other hand, what are some arguments for releasing the photos? Many global citizens still do not believe it. They need to see it to believe it. They don't have sufficient faith in the American government. Many Americans want to see it because it is a moment they have been waiting for for almost 10 years. They need to see it, not to believe it, but to see that justice was served. That Bin Laden paid for what he did. Victims of 9/11 and families and friends of 9/11 victims feel like the photographs would bring closure. 

Where do I stand on the issue? I feel it is ultimately President Obama's decision.