If you’re looking for a dinner party dessert that looks great and lets your guests feel great after a filling meal, this recipe is for you. With all the preparation that goes into making a feast, this dessert can easily be prepared a day before the party and, with our gorgeous Highball Cups and Dessert Spoons, will have your guests believing you spent all day making the delicate, airy mousse and chocolate cookie base to go with it, or better yet, that you went shopping for the delicious desserts!
The following recipe makes enough mousse for 6 Highball Cups.
Ingredients:
- 18 chocolate cookies
- 2 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar, divided into 2 tbsps and 1 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp vanilla custard powder
- 100ml regular milk
- 200ml cream
- 20g hot chocolate powder
- vanilla essence
- coffee granules
- lemon juice
Method:
- Crush cookies and divide among 6 cups. Use 1 tbsp milk to moisten the cookies at the bottom of each cup.
- To make the mousse, mix egg yolks, 2 tbsps powdered sugar, vanilla custard powder, coffee granules (depending on how strong you want the flavor and color to be) and milk in a saucepan at low heat on a stove. Continue stirring with a spatula until the mixture achieves a pudding-like consistency. Sieve to remove any lumps, then add a couple of drops of vanilla essence and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Stir the cream into the mixture gently. To achieve an even lighter texture, you can also whip the cream before you fold it in.
- Divide the mixture into 1/3 and 2/3 proportions.
- Mix the hot chocolate powder with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat in a microwave until thick. Stir quickly into the 1/3 portion of the mixture.
- In a separate, grease-free bowl (to achieve this, use vinegar or a cut lemon to rub the sides of the bowl down before putting any ingredients in it), whip the egg whites with a couple of drops of lemon juice at low speed until frothy. Increase the speed slightly and continue to whip until soft peaks form, then add the remaining 1 tbsp of powdered sugar in 2 additions, beating after the first half, then after the second, until well incorporated. You will know the whites have been whipped once the peaks become stiff and you can hold the bowl upside down without the whites sliding. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla essence and whip for 10 seconds.
- Divide the whites into similar 1/3 and 2/3rds, then gently fold into the chocolate and coffee mixtures respectively.
- Layer the mousse mixtures in the cups, then using a toothpick drag the mixtures around to achieve swirls.
- Refrigerate for 2-4 hours, then serve and enjoy!