
Bouchon Bakery: Bouchons
Bouchon Bakery is the product of famed chef Thomas Keller, an 11-time James Beard award winner and chef of two three-Michelin-Star-rated restaurants. He wrote the Bouchon Bakery cookbook based on all the sensory memories of food he had living and learning the art of baking in Paris, France, as well as adult versions of his childhood favorites. These recipes are a collection of those years.
Bouchons are yet another awesome creation from Bouchon Bakery and Thomas Keller. Bouchons, meaning plug or cork, is Keller’s version of the all-American brownie.
This recipe is actually very simple, but what sets it apart are the top-notch ingredients (Valrhona cocoa powder, European butter) and wonderfully-shaped design. They are lightly crispy on the outside, but amazingly chewy with glorious, rich flavors of chocolate on the inside. The bouchons taste great and are a perfect to impress a crowd or gobble down on your cheat day.
Our first attempt at the bouchons didn’t turn out well. We used a popover mold and couldn’t get the brownies out in one piece. After purchasing a silicone mold, the problem was fixed. For our version of the bouchons we used King Arthur Black Cocoa powder to get a richer and darker color for the brownies. The end result was a perfectly dark bouchon with great flavor and texture. Our friends loved them and so did our cheat day.
Recipe
Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks — 5 ounces
All-purpose flour — 1/4 cup + 1.5 tablespoons
Unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder — 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
Kosher Salt — 1/8 teaspoon
Eggs — 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons
Granulated sugar — 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
Vanilla paste — 1/4 teaspoon
Chocolate chips — 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
You’ll need a pastry bag (or storage bag) to pipe into your bouchon mold. Bouchon Bakery uses Valrhona cocoa powder in this recipe. Convection baking is faster and will keep the interior of the bouchons moister.
1. Place half the butter in a medium bowl. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir the melted butter into the bowl; all the butter will come to room temperature and become creamy looking, with small bits of unmelted butter. Set aside.
2. Place the flour in a bowl and sift in the cocoa powder. Add the salt and whisk together.
3. Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla paste in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on medium-low speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer running, alternating between the two, add the butter and flour mixtures in 3 additions each. Then mix to combine well, scraping the bowl as necessary.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside in a cool spot (not the refrigerator) for two hours. The batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days but should be returned to room temperature before filling the molds.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (convection or standard). Transfer the batter to the pastry bag or use a spoon. Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the molds, stopping just below the top rim.
6. Bake for 12 minutes in a convection oven, 16 minutes in a standard oven. Test a bouchon with a cake tester, making certain not to hit a chocolate chip; the test should come out clean (it is comes out with chocolate on it, try again). Remove the mold from the oven and let the bouchons rest for 10 minutes (so that they will hold their shape), then unmold the bouchons onto a cooling rack, turn right side up, and cool completely.
Note: The bouchons can be kept in a covered container for up to 3 days. Just before serving, dust the tops with powdered sugar.