Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Recipe Is Easy Yet Impressive 3.7 (401) 21 Reviews Rich yet light, our chocolate mousse is a perfect dinner party dessert. It has just five ingredients and is best made ahead. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 25, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 6 Dessert lovers of the world rejoice! This chocolate mousse recipe is the ultimate sweet treat for chocoholics. You have probably ordered this elegant dessert at your favorite restaurant, but it’s deceptively simple to make at home. Even beginners will ace this recipe the first time around. (Learning how to make chocolate mousse is a rite of passage, in our opinion.) Perhaps the best part of this chocolate mousse recipe is that it only has five ingredients—egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. Simple, quality ingredients are key to this perfectly decadent dessert. Surprise your dinner guests with mousse and they'll swoon over dessert (and think you spent hours toiling away in the kitchen). Brie Goldman These Quick Chocolate Desserts Will Appeal to Anyone with a Sweet Tooth What Is Mousse? Mousse is one of the most rich and decadent desserts and is often made with chocolate. Either whipped cream or beaten egg whites (sometimes both!) are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, then chilled. This recipe is designed to be foolproof. It uses whipped cream, because it's a little more stable and easy to work with than egg whites. When you scoop into this chocolate mousse, it will be rich but light as a feather. Why This Recipe Works Whipped cream is less temperamental than egg whites. The mousse will always hold its lofty height and airy texture.We fold in the whipped cream gently. The first third of the whipped cream is used to lighten the chocolate mixture, but the rest should be folded in with a silicone spatula just until no obvious white streaks are visible.We use bittersweet chocolate. It has the richest, most chocolatey flavor and less added sugar. That way, we can control the sweetness level of the mousse. Choosing the Right Chocolate We love to use bittersweet chocolate in mousse because it contains less sugar but isn't too bitter, despite its name. Semisweet chocolate can be seamlessly substituted. Milk chocolate is also a good option, but the texture will be a little different. Since milk chocolate contains dairy, the mousse might be somewhat looser. Most importantly, you should choose a good quality chocolate for the mousse—a chocolate that you'd want to eat on its own. A good mousse is only as good as the chocolate it uses. Look for brands like Guittard or Valrhona. Making Chocolate Mousse in Advance This chocolate mousse needs to chill for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better. Mousse is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time in preparation for a celebration or dinner party. It will last in the refrigerator for up to three days, and the flavor will only get better over time. Ingredients 4 large egg yolks 4 tablespoons sugar 2 cups heavy cream 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions Brie Goldman Combine yolks, sugar, and cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 3/4 cup heavy cream. Brie Goldman Cook: Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until mixture coats back of spoon, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil). Brie Goldman Add melted chocolate and vanilla: Remove from heat; whisk in melted chocolate and vanilla. Brie Goldman Strain and chill: Strain into a bowl; chill until cool. Brie Goldman Whip cream: With an electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Brie Goldman Fold cream into mousse: Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into cooled custard mixture, then gently fold in the rest with a rubber spatula. Brie Goldman Chill mousse: Spoon into serving dishes; chill, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Brie Goldman Brie Goldman Frequently Asked Questions What is the difference between chocolate mousse and pudding? While the ingredients are similar, chocolate pudding is cooked on the stove to activate the cornstarch or flour, depending on the recipe. Mousse is not cooked. It develops its airy texture just from whipped cream. Texturewise, pudding is thicker and denser, while mousse is lighter and more delicate. Why does chocolate mousse go grainy? Mousse can become grainy as it sets if you overwhip the heavy cream. If you take the cream too far, the milk solids will start to separate, leaving your mousse with a slightly grainy texture. Whip the heavy cream just until firm peaks hold on the whisk. Why does chocolate mousse not set? A runny mousse that won't set is caused by the opposite of the reason for grainy mousse. If your mousse won't set, it is most likely because you have under-whipped the heavy cream. Perfectly whipped cream will stabilize the mousse as it sets in the refrigerator. More Mousse Recipes to Try: Chocolate-Mousse Parfaits Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Trifle Easy Chocolate Mousse S'mores Chocolate Mousse Lemon Mousse Espresso Mousse Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cakes Originally appeared: Everyday Food, December 2003 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living.