Who doesn’t want airy, fluffy and decadent White Chocolate Rosewater Souffles for them and their honey on Valentine’s Day?
I can really think of nothing better to tuck into after a romantic meal and a couple of bottles of wine (or cocktails, if they’re more your thing.)
I’ve been dreaming up a white chocolate and rosewater combo for quite some time now, but to be honest, I was originally aspiring to make more of a mousse-like concoction. After researching various mousse recipes online, I was surprised to find that most mousses are actually made with raw eggs. I had no idea! You learn something new every day.
Although I’ve made things with raw eggs before (like this eggnog) I really felt like playing it safe this time and started flexing my Googling muscles to find a mousse recipe with cooked eggs. I ended up finding this one on the New York Times website, but after trying to adapt it to make it my own, the “mousses” didn’t turn out quite as planned.
For my first attempt, I (accidentally) omitted any sort of cream or milk, and also failed to boil my water before creating the bath around my ramekins for cooking. The “mousses” looked fine from the outside, but once I dug my spoon into them, I realized they were still quite runny and not set properly.
The second time around, I remembered to add some almond milk (I wasn’t sure it would work but I was out of cream, it ended up working just fine, and it’s healthier!) and I also boiled my water before creating the bath for the ramekins. This resulted in the desserts having an incredibly light and fluffy top layer, with a denser, pudding-like layer underneath. After conducting a very necessary taste test on both the hot-out-of-the-oven and chilled versions and including the hubs so he could weigh in with his opinion, we decided that these were more soufflé-like than mousse-like, and so these White Chocolate Rosewater Souffles were born!
You may be intimidated by the whole process of making any sort of soufflé, but I promise you it is not that difficult. Do you know how to whip egg whites to stiff peaks with a hand mixer? Then you’ll be fine, because that’s literally the hardest part.
Also, don’t let the two words “water bath” scare you off, it’s another technique that is ridiculously easy but makes you look like a complete pro. Promise.
The great thing about these White Chocolate Rosewater Souffles is that they come together fairly quickly, and can bake off in the oven while you’re enjoying your romantic dinner for two. The other great thing is, because they’re sort of halfway between a mousse and a soufflé, and have that thicker bottom layer, they won’t completely collapse if you don’t eat them right away, like many soufflés do.
I also love that these soufflés satisfy that sweet tooth without being too incredibly sweet or indulgent. There is no sugar aside from what you use to coat the ramekins, the only sweetness comes from the white chocolate itself. You also get a nice floral note from the rosewater, and of course we can’t forget that signature vanilla extract that is necessary in just about any sort of baked dessert.
Want to take your White Chocolate Rosewater Souffles to the next level? I highly suggest baking them in these super-cute heart-shaped ramekins and topping them with an assortment of fresh berries (or a berry compote, if you’re feeling really creative) and some fresh mint.
So now that I have your whole menu planned out for you, I’d love to hear how you and your special man or woman are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The hubby and I decided to do our usual romantic night in, and I am so excited because he’s actually cooking ME dinner for once!
I hope your day is full of lots of love and laughter <3 xx
White Chocolate Rosewater Souffle
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 4 ounces white chocolate chips
- 3 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat four 6-8 ounce ramekins (bonus if they’re heart-shaped!) with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar into each ramekin and shake to coat all sides. Place ramekins (with a little bit of space in between each one) on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Using a double boiler (or a metal mixing bowl above a saucepan of simmering water,) melt the white chocolate. You’ll want to keep stirring the chocolate as it melts so it doesn’t burn, but if you’re good at multi-tasking, you can whip the egg whites with the pinch of salt while this is happening. In a small bowl, simply combine the whites and salt and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Once your white chocolate is melted, remove from heat and beat in the 2 tablespoons of butter that are at room temperature. Next, beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then the vanilla and rosewater. The mixture should have a stiff pudding-like texture at this time. Finally, beat in the almond milk.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the white chocolate mixture. Keep folding until the mixture is smooth (it will be fairly runny.) Pour the batter evenly into the four ramekins in the roasting pan.
- Fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully transfer to the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the top feels fairly firm. Remove from oven and serve immediately for best results.
Nutrition
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These soufflés are so cute, I like the heart shaped ramekins. I love rosewater in general and actually just bought a rosewater toner yesterday. Rosewater smells & tastes so good!
I love rosewater too! Both for my skin and to consume! It’s also a great addition to cocktails 😉