While on one of our family trips to The Grand Moon Palace, one of the places we ate at served us chocolate mousse. It was so creamy, and decadent. So we do what all normal families do, and ordered a second. (got to love all-inclusive) We reminisce a lot about that trip, but hands down when it comes to dessert, that mousse gets brought up every time! I’ve never made mousse before. I think mainly because the French pastry kind, you need to use egg whites, (for volume) and then the yolks, (for creaminess) kinda like making pudding I suppose. I just never felt the urge to make it myself. Until I saw a recipe from Kitchn. (recipe below) The recipe only called for 2 ingredients, so I thought I’d give it a go. I am so glad I did, so is my family! It’s quick, easy and tastes wonderful.
Really, this chocolate mousse is so easy to make! I hope you try it! The best part is it only uses two ingredients, melting chocolate and heavy cream. You’ll use the cream three different ways. First, you’ll melt the chocolate with some of the cream to create a soft ganache, then whip more cream to soft peaks for garnishing, and finally whip the rest to medium peaks for the mousse. To keep the mousse light and airy, you really want to focus on the following two steps:
Carefully whip the cream to medium peaks. If you swipe your whisk through the cream and lift it up, the tip of the cream should barely curve over — that’s a medium peak. As you’re whipping the cream, you’ll start to see the beaters (or whisk) leaving a trail, and that’s when you’ll want to slow down and keep an eye on things. If you over-whip the cream, you’ll end up with a grainy mousse (although you can try to remedy it by whisking in a few extra tablespoons of cream). An electric hand mixer and a nice big bowl are my tools of choice, but a big balloon whisk and a chilled mixing bowl work well, too.
Gently fold the cream into the chocolate in thirds. Folding is one of those kitchen techniques that isn’t defined enough, so here it is: Folding is essentially mixing together two ingredients without stirring — it’s a motion that feels like equal parts swooping and tucking. A big, flat spatula helps to do a lot of the work for you. Swipe it down under the chocolate, then scoop it up and over the whipped cream as you add it. When folding, don’t stress about getting the mixture perfectly uniform — especially during the first two additions. Each addition will lighten the chocolate, making it taller and lighter.
You can portion chocolate mousse into small ramekins or even pretty cocktail glasses and then chill it before serving, which means it’s also an ideal make-ahead dessert for dinner parties. It will be set in as little as an hour, but four hours will give you nice, firm mousse, perfect for topping with more whipped cream. And while it isn’t mandatory, adding something a little crispy or crunchy to the top of chocolate mousse (think: chopped hazelnuts, crumbled toffee or brittle, even crispy breakfast cereal) really sends it over the top flavor-wise, and cements its status as the only dessert recipe you need, ever.
I love hearing from you guys, comment below and tag me in your photos. Let me know if you love this dessert as much as my family does!
Happy moussing ~Jeanne
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Large spatula
- Large and medium mixing bowls
- 4 serving dishes or ramekins
- Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream, divided
- 1 cup good-quality chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate (6 ounces)
Instructions
- Warm 1/2 cup cream and use it to melt the chocolate. Heat 1/2 cup of the cream in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and stir to combine. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes for the chocolate to melt.
- Whisk the chocolate and cream together. Whisk the chocolate and cream together until smooth. Set aside to cool while you whip the remaining cream.
- Beat the remaining cream to medium peaks. Place the remaining 1 cup cold cream in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or with a whisk by hand until soft peaks form. Transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl and refrigerate for topping the finished mousse before serving. Continue whipping the remaining whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate in three additions. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture with a large spatula in three additions. Work swiftly and gently and don’t stress if there are streaks of cream in the chocolate mousse.
- Portion the mousse and chill before serving. Divide the mixture between 4 ramekins or cocktail glasses. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 before serving. Dollop with the reserved softly whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate or chopped hazelnuts, if desired.
Loved this! Ate 6 in one week!