Baked Hot Chocolate

Remember when you were a kid and you would be outside in the snow for hours, sledding and making snow angels and generally clowning around until your mittens were caked with snow, and you couldn't feel your ears, and there was melted snow in your snow boots? And you would go inside and by the time you had peeled off your snowsuit and your damp socks and your hat with the pom-poms and your hair was wild with static electricity and your nose was bright pink and you were out of breath from dragging the sled up the hill 500 times and screaming with excitement all the way down,  your mama had a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows melting on top all ready for you?

Yep,  I remember that.

So, what if you could recreate that perfect cup of hot chocolate, but instead of finding hot cocoa under the marshmallows, you spooned up a perfect bite of warm, slightly creamy chocolate cake instead?

Wouldn't that be almost like the sheer wonderfulness of being a kid on a snow day with nothing to do but play in the snow with your friends and then come inside to a chocolate treat made by your mama?

I think that if anything can come close to that long-ago feeling, it just might be this fun and easy recipe. Go find some oven-safe mugs and give it a try...no matter what season it is, it's enough to bring out the happy little kid in you.

Hot chocolate cake can just do that to a person!

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• Baked Hot Chocolate, adapted from Real Simple
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• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for coating
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Generously butter, flour, and sugar eight 6-ounce ovenproof mugs.
2. Place the 8 tablespoons of butter and the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt, stirring once or twice until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
3. Using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar at the highest speed until the volume doubles and the mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir the 3 tablespoons of flour into the chocolate, then gradually add it to the egg mixture, beating on low until it's fully incorporated.
4. Ladle the batter into each cup until it's about 1/2 inch from the rim. Bake until the cakes puff and begin to crack but the centers are still a bit runny, 13 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with marshmallows, then return to oven for 2 to 4 minutes, until the marshmallow tops begin to crisp. Remove from oven; let cool about 5 minutes. Sift the cocoa on top.

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