Chocolate mousse without heavy cream

Chocolate mousse without heavy cream is one of the most delicious desserts. It's homemade, yet very easy to prepare. It’s rich and creamy, but still fluffy. So if you're looking for a special, flavorful sweet dessert for your next dinner party or Holiday dinner. This recipe is going to be a great choice.

Who doesn't love dark chocolate mousse? A great dessert with a WOW factor. Full of extra flavor because of the nutty bite of the hazelnuts and the warm touch from the brandy.

When I served this chocolate hazelnut mousse, it was gone in a wink. Not a smear was found in the bowls. Luckily I had made this picture before I called everyone 😉

The history of chocolate mousse

The first chocolate mousse is described around 1750 by Menon, a French culinary writer. He described it as a foam of chocolate. But in later centuries you can also find references to chocolate mousse. For example with Louis XVI where it was served at the French court. And today it is still a popular dessert in France.

• 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.

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.

Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!

📖 Recipe