Chocolate Almost-Mousse

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Democracy Dies successful Darkness

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By Becky Krystal

This airy, silky dessert volition punctual you of a mousse, but it is egg-free and easier to make. It combines a gelatin-stabilized pudding and softly whipped cream. Cookbook writer and Serious Eats contributor cook Stella Parks (a.k.a. Brave Tart) describes her whipped cocoa cremeux ("creamy" successful French) arsenic a transverse betwixt cookware de creme and mousse.

If you're much of a pudding fan, you tin skip combining it with the whipped pick altogether (or service the pick connected top) and inactive person a fantastic dessert.

Parks likes utilizing full-fat Dutch-process cocoa pulverization present (Droste is 1 wide disposable brand), due to the fact that of its affluent spirit and due to the fact that it has been treated to trim acidity, which would different pb to a tangy and bladed pudding. Parks besides prefers utilizing Diamond Crystal kosher brackish to execute the close spirit balance. A handheld electrical mixer tin beryllium utilized to bushed the whipped cream, but is not recommended for the cocoa pudding; Parks says a beardown limb and a flexible spatula is the alternate mode to go.

The pudding substance needs to acceptable successful the refrigerator for astatine slightest 3 hours oregon up to a week. After it's smoothed out, leftovers tin support up to 2 weeks successful the refrigerator; rewhip earlier serving. The combined pudding and whipped pick needs to beryllium refrigerated for astatine slightest 30 minutes and up to 5 days.

Ingredients

measuring cup

Servings: 8 (makes astir 4 cups)

2 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce; 1 packet) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons positive 1 1/2 cups beverage (13 ounces total)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cupful (5 ounces) packed airy brownish sugar
1/2 cupful (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa pulverization (see headnote)
1/4 spoon Diamond Crystal kosher brackish (see headnote)
1 cupful (8 ounces) dense cream
Chocolate shavings oregon curls, for garnish (optional)

Nutritional Facts

Per serving

Calories
220
Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Carbohydrates
24 g
Sodium
70 mg
Cholesterol
45 mg
Protein
4 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
21 g

This investigation is an estimation based connected disposable ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s oregon nutritionist’s advice.

Adapted from "BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts," by Stella Parks (W. W. Norton, 2017).

Tested by Becky Krystal.

Published February 12, 2019

Updated March 16, 2026