Chocolate Petit Fours
Serves: 68
 
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 3⁄4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 (4-ounce) bar bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1⁄4 cups ice-cold water
  • 2 recipes Chocolate Ganache Icing (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: gold dust powder*, edible gold leaf*
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray several (20-well) brownie bite pans† with baking spray with flour.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add vanilla extract, beating until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating to combine.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer at low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with 1 1⁄4 cups ice-cold water, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Using a levered 1-tablespoon scoop, divide batter among prepared wells of pans. Tap pans on counter to level batter and release any air bubbles.
  4. Bake until edges are dry and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes. Turn out cakes onto wire racks, and let cool completely.
  5. Pour warm Chocolate Ganache Icing over cakes, covering completely and letting excess drip off. Refrigerate until icing becomes firm.
  6. Just before serving, let cakes come to room temperature.
  7. Garnish with a dusting of gold powder and with gold leaf, if desired.
Notes
*We used Wilton Pearl Dust in Gold (wilton.com) and Barnabas Blatt gold Edible Genuine Gold Leaf Sheets (barnabasgold.com).
†We used USA Pan Nonstick Brownie Bite Pans, available at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Kitchen Tip: Cakes are very delicate and tender. For a firmer texture, store cakes at room temperature in an airtight container overnight, and glaze them the next day.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/chocolate-petit-fours/