Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream and Toasted Hazelnuts

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free

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Did you know that you can make an intense chocolate mousse with just chocolate and water? The brilliant technique of melting chocolate with water and then whisking it into a mousse over a chilled bowl was created by Hervé This. The original recipe says to nestle the bowl of melted chocolate in a larger bowl filled with ice, but I found this took a large amount of ice (we usually don't have more than a tray or two on hand) and plenty of whisking time. So I ultimately settled on my own method which is placing a mixing bowl in the freezer for a few hours (or overnight) and whisking the melted chocolate directly in the frozen bowl. My mousse whipped up in exactly two minutes and thirty seconds and I didn't have to use a single piece of ice...which is awesome because filling up the ice cube tray is the bane of my existence! I can't emphasize enough that you need to use a good-quality chocolate that you love the taste of because the mousse is going to taste exactly like the chocolate you select. I used a 70% dark chocolate, but anything between 55-70% would be nice. Just check that it's dairy-free.  I also recommend reading over the entire recipe before you begin as it moves rather quickly once you are in the whisking stage. This recipe is inspired by the Magic Chocolate Mousse recipe in the cookbook, Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan.

Yield
4 servings
Prep Time
20 Minutes
Cook time
0 Minutes
Total Time
20 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the mousse:
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
  • 200g 60-70% non-dairy dark chocolate (two 100g chocolate bars)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt or fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or other liquid sweetener, to taste (optional)
Optional toppings:
  • Coconut whipped cream (see link to recipe in notes below)
  • 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
  • Maldon sea salt or other flaked sea salt, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Place a medium mixing bowl in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. This step is necessary so the chocolate can be whipped into mousse.

2. In a medium pot, add the water, chocolate, salt, and oil. Melt the chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and sweetener.

3. Place a small cereal-sized bowl next to you on the counter. Remove the “frozen” mixing bowl from the freezer. Immediately pour the melted chocolate mixture into the frozen bowl. With a metal whisk, whisk the chocolate vigorously, until the chocolate just starts to thicken (this took me exactly 2 mins. and 30 seconds - any longer and it would have seized up). As soon as you see that the mixture is thickening and you can start to see lines in the chocolate from the whisk, immediately pour the chocolate into the bowl beside you. The chocolate goes from semi-liquid to solid in seconds if chilled too long. Now whisk it for a few seconds in the cereal bowl and then divide the chocolate into the ramekins. Note: If you leave the chocolate in the frozen bowl too long and it hardens up too much, you can whip it with electric beaters until smooth or you can melt it again and start the process over. If the chocolate gets grainy you will have to melt it again and start over.

4. Prepare the coconut whipped cream and hazelnut topping.

5. Add a scoop of whipped cream and a handful of toasted, chopped hazelnuts on top of the mousse. Finish with a small pinch of flaked sea salt, if desired.

6. Leftover mousse will keep in the fridge for several days.

  • If your chocolate becomes too firm during the whisking phase (or becomes grainy), you can start over and melted the chocolate again or you can try whipping the chocolate with electric mixers until fluffy.
  • For the coconut whipped cream recipe, see here.
  • For toasted hazelnuts, roast the nuts at 300°F for 10-14 minutes until the skins start to fall off the nuts. Place toasted nuts in an old tea towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins.

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