Rich, creamy, smooth and oh-so-chocolatey, there’s nothing quite like chocolate mousse. It’s simplistic but so luxurious and satisfying. This Milk Chocolate Mousse offers so much to delight the senses in all the right ways spoonful after wonderful spoonful.

milk chocolate mousse in white ramekins with chocolate shavings around

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How to Achieve a Rich and Creamy Texture for Chocolate Mousse

When indulging in chocolate mousse, we are expecting a strong chocolate flavor, a richness from the cream and eggs, yet a balanced lightness to create the perfect mouthfeel. To achieve all of this, I started by using milk chocolate in this mousse recipe. The milk chocolate has a sweet taste but full chocolate flavor that’s enhanced and complemented by the strong coffee in the recipe. I found that using bittersweet or dark chocolate made the chocolate mousse a bit too bitter than what I was going for here. I wanted a recipe that was as kid-friendly as it is adult-friendly, so milk chocolate was the right choice for this chocolate mousse.

A full cup of heavy cream is used in this mousse recipe which helps develop a richness and creaminess that’s unmatched. By folding it in gently to the chocolate, the whipped cream helps create a smoothness that’s idyllic in chocolate mousse. Folding in the cream also helps maintain a lightness to the mousse. One additional tip I learned from Cook’s Illustrated that I incorporated here was not to beat the egg yolks before adding them in. Beating the egg yolks creates too much air in this recipe, which can dilute the chocolate flavor. Definitely not what we are going for here.

overhead of milk chocolate mousse in white ramekins

How to Make Milk Chocolate Mousse

To make milk chocolate mousse, start by coarsely chopping then tempering the chocolate over low heat. To temper chocolate, set a saucepan with a small amount of water (about 1-2 inches deep) over low heat and place a heatproof bowl over top of the bowl. Place the chocolate inside and allow the steam from the simmering water underneath gently melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, add in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Stir in the vanilla, hot coffee and salt.

In a clean bowl set over the simmering water, stir the egg whites constantly so they don’t scramble, just until they’re warm. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks (see below for a how-to) then gently fold them in (see below for tips on folding), a little at a time, to the chocolate mixture.

Finally, beat the heavy cream in a bowl to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the chocolate mousse into 6 to 8 ramekins or small dishes and set in the fridge, covered, for at least 2 hours. Add a dollop of whipped cream and some chocolate shavings just before serving.

milk chocolate mousse in a white dish with a spoonful taken out

How to whip egg whites and heavy cream to soft peaks

As you’ll see in the recipe, it calls for whipping the egg whites and the heavy cream (separately) to soft peaks. This means when you lift the whisk away from the eggs or cream, the peaks are just starting to hold their shape. They’re soft and melt back into themselves after a second. So, when you’re whipping, stop every once, watch what’s going on in the bowl for visual cues that the egg whites or cream are starting to come together. Stop whipping every once in awhile, lift the whisks out of the bowl and see how they’re progressing.

How to fold in egg whites and whipped cream

Once you have whipped the egg whites and cream to soft peaks, the recipe calls for folding these into the chocolate mixture. We want to do this to maintain a light texture to the chocolate mousse. To fold, use a scoop and fold motion. Use a spatula with a wide and flexible blade for this. A wide spatula helps scoop more of the mixture at once and makes the task go more quickly. A flexible blade helps you scrape along the curve of the bowl and scoop up every last bit of the liquid batter. Try also using a big bowl, as this will help you have the space you need to get under the batter and scoop and fold properly. Here’s a great step-by-step resource for folding in egg whites or heavy cream.

Additional Tips for Making Milk Chocolate Mousse

Plan to make this chocolate mousse at least 2 hours, preferably more, before you plan to serve it. The flavors need time to blend while chilling in the fridge and the texture will firm up nicely. Serve the chocolate mousse within twenty-four hours after preparing it because after that, the flavor and texture will begin to deteriorate
After you chop the milk chocolate, save the little shavings and small pieces left on your cutting board for garnishing the mousse when you are serving it. Makes for a nice touch and you won’t have to take an extra step to shave more chocolate for garnishing
For more flavor variations, try substituting the hot coffee for your favorite flavored liquor or rum in an equal amount

overhead of milk chocolate mousse being mixed in a bowl

Useful Kitchen Tools for Making This Recipe

Stainless Steel Saucepan

Kitchenaid Hand Mixer

Heat-proof Mixing Bowls

chocolate mousse in a white ramekin with whipped cream on top

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For more chocolatey recipes, give these a try:

Milk Chocolate Mousse

This Milk Chocolate Mousse creates luxurious spoonful after rich, creamy, fluffy spoonful that delights the senses in all the right ways.

Author: Kim | kickassbaker.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes + 2 hours chilling time
Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Category: Mousse
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Scale

Ingredients

6 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) strong brewed hot coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream (238 grams), plus extra for garnish
Chocolate shavings for garnish

Instructions

Fill a large saucepan with an inch or two of water and set it over medium heat until water comes to a low simmer. Place a medium bowl over the simmering water and place chocolate inside. Stir gently until chocolate is fully melted. Once fully melted, whisk the butter into the melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove chocolate mixture from heat. Stir in the salt, vanilla, and coffee until completely incorporated. Whisk in yolks, one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Set chocolate mixture aside
Stir egg whites in a clean mixing bowl set over a saucepan of hot water until slightly warm, 1 to 2 minutes; remove bowl from saucepan. Beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed until soft peaks form. Raise mixer speed to high and slowly add sugar, beating to soft peaks. Whisk a quarter of the beaten whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining whites
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold into mousse. Spoon portion of mousse into six to eight individual serving dishes or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 2 hours, before serving
Optional: When ready to serve, whip heavy cream on high speed in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Serve chocolate mousse with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings

Notes

Can be covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours
Store chocolate mousse and additional whipped cream garnish separately until ready to serve
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated

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