When I was younger, my uncle and aunt owned a French restaurant, Le Bon, in Hawaii. During the day, my grandfather would help clean the restaurant and I would often tag along. I have fond memories of hanging out in the restaurant office with my two cousins, banging on the restaurant piano, and serving ourselves soda from behind the bar. But that wasn’t the best part of hanging out at the restaurant. The best part was being able to eat some of the great food. If we were lucky, my uncle would let us eat some of the desserts, like chocolate mousse!
For years, I thought making chocolate mousse was difficult. I mean, it was served in my uncle and aunt’s fancy French restaurant, so there had to be some special equipment involved or some long process…right? So all these years, I’ve been depriving myself of one of my favorite desserts because I thought it was too much fuss to make – I like things simple :-).ย Boy, was I so very wrong! In fact, making chocolate mousse is so easy that my 10 year old daughter can make it all on her own. So are you ready to learn how to make this light and creamy chocolate dessert?
Chocolate Mousse Recipe
First, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 2 minutes. Then, add boiling water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Set this aside.
Before mixing the mousse mixture, get a large bowl and fill it part way with ice cubes. This will help keep the mousse mix bowl cold and the mousse will thicken quicker.
Now, in a slightly smaller bowl than the ice cube bowl, add sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla.
Tip:
- Sugar can be cut in half if you prefer a less sweet dessert or are serving in large bowls/cups.
- If using full amount of sugar, keep serving portions small. A 4-6 oz. serving size is very rich and sweet. It can also be layeredย with tart fruit like strawberries to cut some of the sweetness.
Place the mousse mix bowl into the ice bowl. Start mixing on high-speed until stiff peaks form in the mix. This will take several minutes, so don’t rush this part. Once the mousse has stiff peaks, spoon or pipe into small 5 oz. dessert cups – this dessert is very sweet and a small amount is enough.
Tip:
- Piping the mousse into your dessert cups makes a cleaner presentation. If you don’t have a piping bag/tip, just fill a Ziplock bag with the mousse and cut off a corner to pipe the mousse into the dessert cups.
- The mousse and whipped cream can be layered in the dessert cups for a striped effect.
Whipped Topping
Use the same ice bowl technique when preparing the whipped cream topping. Pipe onto the top of the mousse and top with mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tip:
- If you’re having a party, this can be prepared the day before with the whipped cream and chocolate chips. If using the fresh fruit for the topping, add that right before serving.
Chocolate Mousse
Serves | 7-8 5oz. servings |
Prep time | 1 hour |
Meal type | Dessert, Snack |
Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day |
By author | The Hershey Company |
Ingredients
Mousse
- 1 Envelope Unflavored Gelatin
- 2 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 1/4 Cup Boiling Water
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 2 Cups Cold Whipping Cream
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Topping
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Topping (Optional)
- mini chocolate chips
Directions
Mousse | |
Step 1 | |
In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water andlet stand 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside. | |
Step 2 | |
In a large bowl, add sugar, cocoa, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until the mixture begins to become thick. Pour in gelatin mixture and beat until stiff peaks form. | |
Step 3 | |
Spoon into dessert cups or place mousse in piping bag and pipe into dessert cups. Place into the refrigerator while the topping is prepared | |
Topping | |
Step 4 | |
In a large bowl, add heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. | |
Step 5 | |
Place whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe onto the top of the mousse. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. |

Debbie says
I’m trying to figure out about the gelatin? It never says to add it. I’m assuming I add it with the rest of the ingredients then whip altogether.
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
You add it to the water. It’s in the very beginning in the instructions.
jona says
hi! your recipe looks really promising and enticing all the more ๐ i just can;t follow what you say about the ice cubes bowl. do you add the cocoa powder-whipping cream mixture to the bowl with ice cubes? sorry if my question sounds funny.
thanks!
jona recently posted…It’s So Ironic That I Can Even Blog Now
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
No, you place another bowl into the bowl with the ice cubes and place the whipping cream mixtures in that bowl.
Julia says
do you have to use gelatin? I really want to try this recipe but I cant eat gelatin :/
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
You could try using agar or vegan gel to make this. I haven’t used those, but I think those would work.
Joanne T Ferguson says
I LOVE chooclate mousse Erlene and can’t wait to try this! Pinned and shared!
#ibabloggers
Michele Ash says
Thanks so very much for the Yummy Chocolate Mousse Recipe! I didn’t realize it was that easy! I love Chocolate Mousse! I’ll have to add a couple things to my grocery list in order to make it! I can’t wait! Thanks so very much for sharing this with all of us! I truly do appreciate it! Thanks again, Michele ๐
Michele Ash recently posted…Merry Monday Link Party #35
Joanne T Ferguson says
G’day one word? YUM! Great photos!
Cheers! Joanne #ibabloggers
Nibbles By Nic says
Congrats!!! Your lovely Chocolate Mousse is being featured this week at MUNCHING MONDAYS!!!!! It looks decadent and delicious! Thanks so much for stopping by and hope to see you this week. Feel free to spread the great news! Warmest, Nic
Sandi @ A New York Foodie says
Thanks for linking up to Munching Mondays! Want to let you know that you are one of this week’s features. Hope to see you again! ๐
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll be sure to stop by again. Thanks a bunch!
Lou Lou Girls says
I’m drooling right now because it looks so good! Pinned. Lou Lou Girls
Lou Lou Girls recently posted…Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Michelle from Weekend Craft says
Is 7:30am to early to have chocolate mousse?! Because now I want some! Thanks so much for stopping by Creative Spark Link Party! We hope you stop by again today to link up!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
I should probably answer yes, but who can resist chocolate mousse ๐ Thanks for coming over and I’ll be over to link up.
Carie Spence says
I never knew about the gelatin in it. My daughter and I are huge chocolate mousse fanatics. Can’t wait to make this! Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest board.
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
I hope you get to try this recipe out. It’s really close to how I remember it tasting from my uncle’s restaurant. Very yummy.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Shoyu Chicken
Amanda @ The Kolb Corner says
I guess I never realized it would be this simple to make chocolate mousse! I think I’ll need to try it now ๐
Amanda @ The Kolb Corner recently posted…Easy Homemade Granola
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
It’s super easy and one of my favorite desserts to eat. I try to limit myself though because it’s very rich and sweet.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Shoyu Chicken
Elizabeth says
Oh my! Love this. Who wouldn’t love chocolate goodness in a sweet cup? Pinning! Thanks, Erlene.
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Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Elizabeth I put them in small cups to limit how much everyone ate…lol. It’s very addictive. Thanks for pinning.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Shoyu Chicken
Clairejustine oxox (Clairejustineoxox) says
Thanks again for sharing ๐ pinned and featured this week at the hop…
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thank you for the party and feature. I added your button to my feature page.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Shoyu Chicken
Megan Walker says
I love chocolate mousse too, but I have never tried making it! In my opinion, there’s nothing more delicious than homemade whipped cream either : ) Thanks for sharing on Hump Day Happenings!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Totally agree Megan. Homemade whipped cream is a must for us.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Shoyu Chicken
Nancherrow says
I’ve never made chocolate mousse either, thinking it was hard. Now I know it’s not, and I think it would make the perfect dessert to serve at a dinner party. Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded-pinned to the party links board!
Alison
Nancherrow
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
I hope you try it. It’s not hard at all and makes a very rich and creamy dessert ๐
Heather says
YUM!! This looks wonderful and easy! My teens would love it. Stopping by from the Home matters Linky Party! Have pinned this! .. Heather
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
It’s super easy and a great occasional treat. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Jeannine says
OMG. This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! I know what we are having for dessert tonight! So glad I connected to the Hump Day Happenings Link Party. Pinned!
Zan says
As I browsed through google to find some stuff – I saw that you are a host over at Merry Mondays linky (did not know about it until now). Hope to link up some NEW posts there!
Zan says
Yummy! I know my family would enjoy this as we are lovers of chocolate!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Hi Zan. Thank for the wonderful link party. I think if your family loves chocolate they’ll like this recipe. It’s very rich and creamy ๐
Clairejustine oxox (Clairejustineoxox) says
Yummy, these look amazing ๐
Thanks for sharing #CreativeMondays
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks for stopping by and inviting me to your link party.
Natasha in Oz says
That looks so delicious and easy to make too. Yum!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
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Rachel @ Craving some Creativity says
Yummm! I have never made mousse from scratch before. Sounds just like me though. The whip cream and chocolate chips make it so elegant.
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Raquel @ Organized Island says
Mmmm! I have never made chocolate mousse before – this recipe looks so good I am going to have to try it soon!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Raquel it’s so good ๐ I hope you try it…I really love chocolate mousse.
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
Rich, chocolate desserts are my favorite! Thanks for linking up with Hump Day Happenings.
Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness says
Wow, I didn’t realize mousse was actually that easy! I love that, it looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! I’m visiting from Hump Day Happenings. ๐
Shelly Murphy says
Stopping by from the Wake Up Wednesday link party – Thanks for linking up!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Have a great week!
Shelly @ The Domestic Heart
Tiffany says
Looks delicious! I think I will serve this at my next family party !
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Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above says
Great recipe.
Debi
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Lynsey @ Eternally Wanderlyn says
Yum! That looks so delicious. I’m a big fan of chocolate mousse, but I’ve yet to try making it myself. I think I might need to put this recipe to work. ๐