Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Sometimes you need a dessert that's a snap to whip up but will still knock the socks off of anyone who tries it.  These luscious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate lava cakes fit the bill perfectly.  I've taken a few liberties with the recipe to make it easier to make whenever the craving for something warm and chocolate-y strikes, but if you have everything called for in the original recipe, you should try them that way, at least once.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

(Adapted from Brandielle on Tasty Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli 60% cocoa)
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C white sugar (the recipe calls for powdered, which make a smoother, more velvety cake, but nobody will complain if you substitute plain granulated sugar.)
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 whole eggs
• 6 T all-purpose flour
• Whipping cream & sugar, for serving

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt together the chocolate and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.  Stir in the sugar and vanilla, whisk in the eggs, and stir in the flour.  Oil 4-6 ramekins or 6-8 cupcake tins and divide the batter between them.  If you're using ramekins, place them all on a cookie sheet for easier handling and in case of overflow.

(If you have some chocolate squares or peanut butter cups or a fancy bottle of merlot espresso chocolate sauce, you might think of augmenting the centers of these treats with a bit of that.  Just a suggestion.)

Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes, until the tops are set but the insides are still jiggly.  Invert the cups on individual plates to serve.  Whip & sweeten some whipped cream and serve in generous dollops alongside.

Makes 4-8 servings.