I’m not sure what is wrong with me, but any time I decide to make a dessert for a social function, I am overcome with the desire to try something new. It’s true, I have a couple old standbys that are tried and true, that never disappoint. But rather than turn to one of them, I want to experiment. I want to page through cookbooks or scour the internet, find something scrumptious-looking, and give it a try. Even though I know full well it could end in disaster.

But I figure, as long as it involves chocolate, even disaster can’t be too bad, right? I mean, a chocolate disaster is the the best kind there is.

This week, a friend came over one evening. Chad was out of town, and it seemed like a good opportunity for some girl time. So naturally, I started looking for a new chocolate dessert recipe.

And I found one. Warm Chocolate and Caramel Cakes from Country Living.

I won’t re-type the recipe here (not wanting to break any copyright laws), but I will post some pictures of the dessert-in-progress. And I will urge you to visit Country Living and print out the recipe for yourself.

It all starts out innocently enough. After buttering some ramekins (the recipe called for 6-oz. ramekins, but I only have the 4-oz. variety; they worked just fine), you cover the bottom with a few tablespoons of caramel (I used plain old Smuckers caramel ice cream topping).

Next, the ramekins chill in the freezer for about an hour — you want the caramel firm so the chocolate batter doesn’t sink into it right away. After that hour, mix up your batter (which has plenty of chocolate, but also coffee — I used decaf) and put about 1/3 cup on top of the caramel. I used slightly less than 1/3 cup, since I was using the smaller ramekins. Also, the recipe calls for cake flour, and I didn’t have any of that on hand (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had cake flour on hand), but I made a substitution involving all-purpose flour and corn starch and it turned out great.

Then pop those beauties into the oven. You might want to put a sheet of aluminum foil on the shelf below, because while the cakes are setting up, the caramel can come bubbling and oozing up over the edges of the ramekins. I’m all for bubbly, oozy caramel, but not on the bottom of my oven.

Once they come out, let them sit for a bit. If you’re anything like me, you’ll forget that they just came out of the oven and you’ll grab for the ramekin and burn your hand, which could ruin the whole experience. So give them just a few minutes to rest and cool off.

The caramel at the bottom will still be piping hot, and the cake itself is very rich, so even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I felt a small scoop of ice cream on top would make the dessert complete.

I have to admit: this dessert was a success. Chocolaty and rich and sweet and delicious. I officially have a new dessert in my repertoire.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that, because you make it in individual containers, you can make as much or as little as you like. At first, I only made three of them — one for my friend, one for me, and one as a special treat for C. (11) before he was ushered off to bed.

I had some leftover batter and it’s a good thing I kept it.

L.(4) had come downstairs at one point during the evening and he took notice of the fact that everyone was eating some kind of cake. The next morning, he was quick to ask, “When will I get some of that cake that everyone was eating while I was in bed?”

So that evening, I made a couple more. Though I exercised self-restraint and did not make myself another one, I did have a taste of L.’s. I think the day-old batter was fine, but the cake might have been just a little bit dry this time around. Of course, the easy solution for that one is to add more ice cream!

Oh, I forgot. There’s one more step, but I didn’t mention it because it comes so naturally. Dig in and enjoy!