Susan's Chocolate Dream

My names's Susan, well Susanne in German. This is kind of my signature dish. No, I didn't create it myself, but the way of serving them in paper muffin cups is my addition. It makes them look very delicate, just like from an expensive shop. They are always a big hit! The original recipe is just called chocolate squares and comes from a very famous Swiss baking book that everybody who enjoys baking owns here in Switzerland. My grandmother used to make these chocolate squares often. She cut them as in the original recipe into large squares and served them on individual plates.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 30 squares

Ingredients

• 150  g butter
• 4  egg yolks
• 150  g sugar
• 1  pinch salt
• 120  g dark chocolate, 50% cocoa, preferrably Swiss
• 50  g  ground almonds (skin on)
• 30  g flour
• 4  egg whites
•  raspberry preserves or   cherry preserves
•  icing sugar (otpional)
•  paper baking cup, for muffins

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, mix the first four ingredients (until the salt) until bright and creamy.
2. Put the chocolate in chunks into a small bowl. Pour hot water over it. Leave it for a few minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C.
4. When chocolate has melted, discard water except 2 tablespoons. Mix and add to the yolk mixture.
5. Add ground almonds.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold it into the chocolate mixture.
7. Spread onto a lined oven rack.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let cool in the tin.
9. Cut into halves, but leave both halves in the pan.
10. Spread as much of the preserves onto one half as you like.
11. Lift up both edges of the lining paper at that side where the biscuit is not covered with preserves. Lift the paper in such a way that you can cover the biscuit with the preserves with the one without the preserves.
12. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.
13. Cut into small squares and serve them in the paper baking cups.
14. Watch them disappear!