French-Style Chocolate Mousse

If you’re looking for a dessert that will stop all of your guests in their tracks and transport them to chocolate nirvana, then look no further. Chocolate mousse is one of those desserts that takes almost no time to make, calls for only a handful of ingredients that most cooks always have on hand, and requires no oven time at all which makes it perfect for those days when your oven is already hard at work or it’s just too hot to turn it on. Added bonus, chocolate mousse is naturally gluten free!*

1

Melt chocolate either in a double boiler or in 45 second increments in the microwave.
2

Blend melted butter and melted chocolate. Set aside to cool.
3

Separate eggs, retaining only two of the yolks.
4

Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate butter mixture and set aside.
5

Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks, adding the sugar mid-way.
6

Fold the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg whites. The goal here is to keep the egg whites fluffy all while incorporating the chocolate mixture, so be gentle!
7

Spoon the chocolate mousse into individual ramekins or one large bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
8

Decorate with chocolate shavings, fruit, or powdered sugar. Serve chilled.
2

Add about a third of the confectioner’s sugar and blend well. Then add about a third of the milk and blend well. Whisk for two minutes.
3

Add another third of the confectioner’s sugar and blend well. Add another third of the milk and blend well. Whisk for another two minutes.
4

Add the remaining sugar and blend. Only add the rest of the milk if the frosting looks a little dry.
5

Add the vanilla extract and espresso powder and whisk until fluffy.
6

If the frosting appears too dry at this point, add a little more milk. If the frosting appears too wet, add a little more confectioner’s sugar.
7

When the cakes are cool, apply frosting liberally.
8

Then, refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!