Gingerbread Souffle

Southern Living at its creative finest!  My husband (who generally says he "hates dessert") loved this recipe and had seconds.  Just beware of the baking time if you are trying to coordinate your dinner courses.  If you make this dessert in ramekins, the cooking time is about 25 minutes.  If you make this dessert in a souffle dish (as I did above), baking time is more like 50 minutes.

GINGERBREAD SOUFFLE

Recipe Notes

Southern Living recommended serving this dessert with whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps.  I bought the gingersnaps but had no time to crush them, and I served mine with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream instead of whipped cream.  I think that Blue Bell is a great accompaniment to this dessert.

The recipe notes that you can make this dessert in individual ramekins (which requires 10 and I only have 4).  Alternatively, you can use a 2-1/2 qt. souffle dish, which is what I used.  As noted above, the cooking time doubles if you use a souffle dish over individual ramekins.

Ingredients

• 1 c. milk (I used 2%)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. molasses
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Prepare either 10 individual ramekins or one large souffle dish: butter dish(es) and sprinkle with sugar to coat.  Shake out excess sugar.

3.  Combine first four ingredients (milk, sugar, flour, and salt) in a medium saucepan with a whisk until smooth.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.

4.  Whisk in molasses, butter, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and vanilla.  

5.  Allow pan to cool slightly (10-15 minutes).  Whisk in egg yolks.  (Note: the recipe calls for a cooled mixture so that the egg yolks won't curdle/scramble from the heat when added.)

6.  Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until stiff peaks form.  I used a hand mixer but you can also use a stand mixer.

7.  Whisk 1/3 of egg white mixture into milk mixture until well-blended.  Fold in remaining egg whites using a spatula until fully-incorporated.

8.  Spoon batter into prepared dish(es), leaving approx. 1/2-1 inch of space at the top.

9.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (if individual ramekins) or until puffy and set.  For the souffle dish, bake for 50-55 minutes until same result is achieved.

10.  Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream and crushed gingersnaps.