Classic Chocolate Mousse Without Heavy Cream (Hazelnut & Brandy)

No heavy cream, no shortcuts this is the classic French way to make chocolate mousse: whipped egg whites folded straight into melted dark chocolate, so the mousse gets its lightness from air, not from cream.

Add roasted hazelnuts and a splash of brandy, and you've got a mousse with real depth, the kind that disappears from the bowls before anyone remembers to take a photo (ask me how I know).

A few readers here have told me the same thing: they made this because they were out of heavy cream, not despite it and ended up preferring it. As one reader, Stephanie, put it: "I seldom have heavy cream in the fridge so this was an excellent recipe to make... this mousse recipe is creamy and decadent!"

That's really the whole idea: you don't need cream to get something rich.

The history of chocolate mousse

Chocolate mousse without cream isn't a modern workaround, it's actually the original version. The technique dates back to 18th-century France, where whipped egg whites, not cream, gave the mousse its signature lightness. It's still made this way in French households today.

Ingredients you'll need

• Hazelnuts: Hazelnuts and chocolate are a great combination. Think about Nutella paste! Use hazelnuts without skin for the best results (or remove the skin).
• Dark chocolate: Because the mousse got an intense chocolate flavor, use the best chocolate you can get. Use chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 70 % or higher. I personally like Valrhona chocolate which gives a great result.
• Sugar: Gives sweetness to the mousse. But not too much. If you do love dark chocolate a lot, as some people do, you can half the amount of sugar (or even omit it.)
• Bourbon: Chocolate and bourbon (or whiskey) are a terrific food combo. You'll love this combination.

How to make chocolate mousse without heavy cream

A recipe that can be printed can be found at the bottom of this blog in the recipe card.

Step 1 roasting your hazelnuts.

1. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely and put them on a baking plate that's lined with parchment paper. Put that into a preheated oven of 400 °F (200 °C) for 5 minutes.
2. Take it out of the oven. Let it cool down slightly and grind the hazelnuts in a blender.

Step 2: beat the egg whites.

1. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Make sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the egg whites bowl. Otherwise, you can't stiffen them. Take a fat-free clean bowl (and mixer hooks) and add your egg whites to the bowl.
2. Take your mixer and mix at high speed until your egg whites become airy. Then add the sugar and mix further at high speed until the egg whites are just stiff. You can check that by taking the hooks out of the beaten egg whites. If the peek that's formed remains upright, you've mixed enough (don't mix anymore because you will "overmix" the egg whites and your mousse will become liquid instead of airy).

Step 3 Melt the chocolate carefully.

1. Take a pan with about 1 inch (2 cm) of boiling water and hang a heatproof bowl above the water. Add the chocolate cubes and the butter. Warm until the chocolate and butter melts.
2. Mix it well with a spatula and let it cool down for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then add the egg yolks, hazelnut crunch, and Bourbon and mix well.

Step 4: Prepare the dark chocolate mousse.

1. Take about ⅓ of the egg whites and swirl them gently through the chocolate mix. When combined add the remaining egg whites and carefully swirl them through the chocolate.
2. Make sure you do everything very gently as you want to keep as much air in the mousse as possible.

Step 5 Put the dark chocolate mousse into the glasses or bowls. Spoon the dark chocolate mousse into the glasses and put them into the refrigerator. Let them stiffen for at least 2 hours.

Is it safe to eat raw eggs in chocolate mousse?

In this recipe, you use raw eggs. When using raw eggs you have (a small) risk of infection with Salmonella. It's mostly a problem in the United States and Canada but can also occur in other countries. 

Raw eggs are used in many (classic) recipes, like Tiramisu and homemade mayonnaise. When an egg is 'contaminated' the Salmonella sits on the outside of the egg.

Therefore there are a few ways to reduce the risk of infection:

• Use an egg separator to separate egg whites and egg yolks.
• If you get some shell in your bowl, don't use another part of the shell to take it out.
• You can buy pasteurized eggs or pasteurize them yourself. Like with the method described here.
• Don't eat (recipes with) raw eggs when you're pregnant. Also, babies and people with weak health shouldn't be eating (recipes with) raw eggs.

• Refrigerator: Covered, this mousse keeps for up to three days in the fridge.
• Freezer: You can freeze it, covered, for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and eat it within 24 hours of thawing. Tip: on a hot day, try it still slightly frozen, it turns into a kind of chocolate mousse ice cream.

3 x Mousse