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This decadent Easy Chocolate Mousse is a simple dessert with only four ingredients and no eggs! It’s perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or date night in. It can be made ahead of time and requires no special equipment or skills.
An easy chocolate dessert
Creamy, dreamy, rich chocolate mousse. This is for the chocolate lovers. Chocolate mousse makes me think of fancy restaurants and pastry chefs – but did you know it is actually incredibly easy to make at home? With only four ingredients, you can whip this up today and have it for dessert tonight.
Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse
This easy chocolate mousse has only 4 ingredients if you can believe it. The last two are kind of optional (although I think they make the mousse better) so this could even be a 2 ingredient chocolate mousse. Although many traditional recipes for mousse require eggs, this one does not.
- Dark Chocolate – use a high quality dark chocolate here, and chop it up. It’s better to chop up a quality chocolate bar than to use chocolate chips, as they tend to not melt as well. I suggest using dark chocolate, but not extra or super dark chocolate, as it may make the mousse bitter. I used a 55% dark chocolate.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Important to make this rich and creamy. Don’t use half and half here.
- Vanilla Extract – this is actually optional, but I like the extra flavor it gives.
- Fine Sea Salt – just a small pinch (not even 1/8 tsp, more like 1/16th) balances out the sweetness.
How to make Easy Chocolate Mousse
There are only a few steps to making the world’s easiest chocolate mousse – the hardest part is waiting for the mixture to chill! Here is a quick overview with tips for making chocolate mousse, scroll down for full recipe.
- Place chopped chocolate and sea salt in a heatproof bowl, set aside.
- Heat the cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until steaming, but don’t allow it to boil. You can also heat the cream in the microwave, checking it every 30-60 seconds, until it is hot but not boiling.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes so that the chocolate starts to melt. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is totally blended. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Chill mixture in the fridge for at least 4hours, but up to 24 hours.
- When mixture is chilled, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat it until it reaches stiff peaks. Stiff peaks means the mixture will stand straight up when you flip the whisk upside down. Be careful not to over beat the mixture, as that will make the mousse grainy. Stop beating the mousse as soon as it reaches stiff peaks stage.
- Portion into individual serving dishes. You can serve right away for a softer mousse, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and fresh fruit if desired.
Tips for making the best chocolate mousse
- Use high quality dark chocolate, chopped. Don’t use extra dark chocolate as it will be too bitter. I used 55% dark chocolate.
- Don’t overwhip the mousse. It’s better if it’s a little under whipped rather than over whipped. Check it often as it starts to thicken by pulling the beaters out of the mixture to see if it has reached stiff peaks. It is easy to go from perfect to over whipped in a second.
- Chill the mixture well. Just like making whipped cream, this will turn out best if the mixture is very cold.
What are the best toppings for chocolate mousse?
Although you can eat chocolate mousse all by its self, here are a few toppings that will make it even better.
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate shavings
- Fresh berries such as strawberries or raspberries
- Chopped nuts
- Toffee bits
Helpful equipment
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Easy Chocolate Fondue
- Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two
- Raspberry Swirl Brownie Sundae for Two
Easy Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup dark chocolate chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- Place chopped dark chocolate and sea salt in a heat proof bowl, set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat heavy cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat until steaming but do not allow to boil. You can also heat the heavy cream in the microwave in a microwave safe dish if you prefer, just do not allow it to boil.
- When cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for one to two minutes, so that the chocolate starts to melt. Carefully whisk the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is combined. Make sure there are no chunks of chocolate left. Whisk in vanilla extract
- Place bowl in the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- When mixture is chilled, remove from fridge and use an electric mixer to beat the mixture just until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat the mixture or the mousse will become grainy.
- Portion into individual dishes. Mousse can be served right away, or chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. When ready to serve, garnish with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, or fresh fruit if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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