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    Perfect Chocolate Mousse Recipe

    Published February 12, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    This chocolate mousse recipe is delicious, incredibly easy to make and is the perfect dessert to serve up to guests or loves ones.

    glasses of chocolate mousse with whipped cream

    This is such a simple dessert recipe to prepare yet it is so rich and decadent just like my French Silk Pie or my Crème Brulee Recipe, but it comes together in a fraction of the time.  If you want to wow some guests or a loved one and don’t have much time to prepare a fancy dessert, then this is for you.

    What Chocolate Should I Use

    You can use bitter, milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate in this recipe.  It is really about your preferred level of sweetness.  For example, if you want it just kind of sweet then semi-sweet is the way to go, or perhaps you don’t like it sweet, then you would use bitter.

    If you’re a big-time chocolate lover, I suggest you make my Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Torta Caprese.

    How Long Does Chocolate Mousse Take to Set

    The chocolate mousse will usually take 90 – 120 minutes to set in the refrigerator although you could really start eating this recipe as soon as the meringue is folded in with the chocolate.

    This Recipe Uses Raw Eggs, Is It Safe to Eat

    Like my French Silk Pie recipe, it does use eggs that are not fully cooked, just heated.  If you are nervous in any way to make, then I recommend using pasteurized eggs to help remove any scare of possibly getting salmonella.

    My personal opinion is that I eat under cooked eggs and yolks quite often at breakfast time… I’ll just leave it at that.

    How to Make Chocolate Mousse

    Follow along with these easy to make procedures:

    Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl in a double boiler over low heat until melted while stirring often using a rubber spatula.

    melted chocolate in a metal bowl

    Next, add in the butter and stir it using the rubber spatula until it’s completely mixed in.

    melting butter in chocolate with a spatula

    Using a whisk, add in 1 egg yolk at a time until it is mixed in before adding the next one.  Set aside.

    whisking eggs into melted chocolate

    Add the egg whites to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until it achieves soft peaks.

    making merengue in a stand mixer

    Slowly add in the sugar and mix on medium speed until it forms stiff peaks.

    adding sugar to the merengue to stiff peaks

    Transfer the meringue to the bowl with the melted chocolate mixture and gently fold it in until it is completely combined.

    adding the merengue to the melted chocolate

    Cool in the refrigerator for 90 to 120 minutes or until set and serve it with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.

    adding the mousse to the refrigerator to chill

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days in advance, simply keep covered in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.

    How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

    How to Freeze: You can keep it in the freezer covered for up to 2 months and eat it like ice cream, but if you thaw it, it will break and become too liquidy to eat.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    chef notes + tips

    • When making your meringue, soft peaks will fall right over when pulling up your whisk in the stand attachment.
    • For stiff peaks, the meringue will stand straight up and hole when pulling up your whisk in the stand attachment.
    • If you want to take this recipe to another level, as I did, you can add on things like homemade whipped cream, chocolate shavings or fresh berries.
    chocolate mousse with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

    More Amazing Dessert Recipes

    Check out some of my favorite dessert recipes:

    Be sure to follow me on FacebookYoutube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Video

    Perfect Chocolate Mousse Recipe

    5 from 2 votes
    This chocolate mousse recipe is delicious, incredibly easy to make and is the perfect dessert to serve up to guests or loves ones.
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Cooling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 4 egg whites
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • whipped cream
    • berries

    Instructions

    • Heat a medium size pot of water over low heat to the halfway mark until simmering.
    • Add the chocolate to a large metal bowl and place directly over the pot to make a double boiler.
    • Stir the chocolate using a rubber spatula to keep the chocolate moving around to help melt.
    • Remove the bowl from the double boiler and stir in the butter until completely melted and mixed in.
    • Next, whisk in 1 egg at a time until mixed in. Set aside.
    • In a stand mixer add in the egg whites and mix on medium speed until soft peaks are formed, which takes about 3-4 minutes. See note on what to look for.
    • Slowly pour in the sugar and mix on medium until stiff peaks are formed, which takes about 3-4 minutes.
    • Remove the egg white mixture (a.k.a. merengue) from the stand mixer and add it to the bowl with the chocolate and gently fold in using a rubber spatula until completely mixed in. Don’t over mix.
    • Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 90 – 120 minutes or set.
    • Serve with whipped cream and berries.

    Notes

    Chef Notes:
    • Make Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days in advance, simply keep covered in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.
    • How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    • How to Freeze: You can keep it in the freezer covered for up to 2 months and eat it like ice cream, but if you thaw it, it will break and become too liquidy to eat.
    • When making your merengue, soft peaks will fall right over when pulling up your whisk in the stand attachment.
    • For stiff peaks, the merengue will stand straight up and hole when when pulling up your whisk in the stand attachment.
    • If you want to take this recipe to another level, like I did, you can add on things like homemade whipped cream or fresh berries.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 195mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 321IUCalcium: 31mgIron: 2mg
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French

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