I am not normally one to tell you to go and make something immediately, but seriously. Go and make this immediately.
About a million years ago, I had found a recipe somewhere for a three ingredient chocolate mousse. It was so easy and delicious, and I was hooked. So, as people as disorganized as I would do when they love a recipe, I promptly lost it and never made it again. I suspect that it is buried deep within an old email account of mine. I don’t remember any of the information to get into this email (believe me, I’ve tried). It makes me sad for a variety of reasons. Not least of which, the fact there are a lot of recipes lost within that black-hole-of-an-email.
Fast forward to Valentine’s weekend. I knew I wanted to make something chocolate and decadent for J. So I started racking my brain. I knew the old recipe involved heavy cream and cocoa. I had no idea what the measurements were or what the other mystery ingredient was. I suspected it may have been sugar or vanilla, but I couldn’t be sure. So I combined some ingredients that sounded good, and said a prayer. I had some Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking chips so I melted those down. While those were melting, I whipped up my cream. I knew I didn’t want to add extra sugar because I love the dry, almost fruity notes that dark chocolate brings to the mix, but I felt that it needed something extra. So I threw in some Kahlua and a bit of vanilla extract that I had on hand.
The first attempt had the most delicious flavor but also had some textural issues. I definitely over-whipped the cream (as you’ll note in the above photos. I included them so you would see what the over-whipped looked like in the context for this recipe). Additionally, I stirred in the melted chocolate after I had whipped the cream which led to this grainy texture that I can only assume was the chocolate not being fully combined with the cream and solidifying into teeny tiny pieces after I put it into the fridge to chill for later. But I am not one to back down quite so easily. So I started over.
Spoiler alert: batch #2 was a cooking win! This time, I cut down the amount of chocolate by a 1/4 cup. I stopped whipping the cream when it was starting to thicken and added the melted chocolate at that point. I then finished whipping the mixture, but kept a much closer eye on it this time. It was still a super quick, easy process with slightly altered steps. The flavor was still intense and delicious but the texture was perfectly fluffy and creamy and I’m happy to report that it stayed fluffy and creamy the when I tested it out the next morning (Chocolate mousse for breakfast? Me? Never!).
The combination of these four ingredients is pure magic. The mousse is light as a feather with the most decadent, rich, chocolaty flavor. This is the ultimate naughty dessert that is just so darn easy to whip up. Seriously. Make it now. Just do it. You won’t be sorry.
Four Ingredient Chocolate Mousse.
Source: The Life Jolie, inspired by a long, lost recipe for Three Ingredient Chocolate Mousse.
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of heavy cream
- 3/4 of a cup of dark chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsps. of Kahlua
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
Begin melting your chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. You don’t want the heat too high because if it goes too fast, the chocolate will be out of temper leaving you with a terrible clay-like texture. Go slow, you won’t regret it.
Begin whipping the cream, Kahlua and vanilla extract until it is just beginning to thicken.
When the chocolate is fully melted, add it into your cream and continue whipping until fully combined with nice, fluffy peaks.
Eat right away or refrigerate for a day or even two. I encourage you to serve this with fruit.
Notes: If you’re not into booze, you can always add an additional tsp. of vanilla extract.
You can find a complete index of all the recipes I’ve made here.
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35 Comments
Kim@The Baking ChocolaTess
February 24, 2015 at 12:19 pm i love chocolate mousse! 4 ingredients including Kahlua is definitely a plus! Thanks so much for sharing and I'm visiting from Titus 2 Tuesday Party. PInning and tweeting! Have a great day! Kim@The Baking ChocolaTess recently posted...‘Symphony’ Almond Toffee Milk Chocolate Chip CookiesJessy
February 24, 2015 at 10:46 pm Thank you! i couldn't leave the Kahlua out. I'm not a huge drinker, but I think alcohol is an excellent tool in the kitchen. I'd like to try this with Amaretto some time or Frangelico.AdoringFamily
February 24, 2015 at 8:50 pm chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts. I have been looking for an excuse to use my new kitchen aid! Thank you for the recipe :)Jessy
February 24, 2015 at 10:49 pm That's exactly what I did- I love my stand mixer (named Big Blue), I use it for everything. My favorite is actually making mashed potatoes in there. I don't even own a hand masher. Thanks for stopping by!Gina
February 25, 2015 at 5:02 pm I've never made chocolate mousse before. but now I gotta try it! I love that this recipe only has four ingredients! Thanks for the recipe! Saw this post over at Whismy Wednesday! Gina from Always Savory Gina recently posted...Motivate ME Monday: DeerDad: Free Printable!!Jessy
February 25, 2015 at 9:08 pm Give it a shot, it's super easy- I hope you enjoy :)Felissa
February 25, 2015 at 9:00 pm This looks scrumptious! I would be honored if you would hop over to party with us at Inspire Us Tuesday! Felissa recently posted...Inspire Us Tuesdays – Spring Cleaning Tips and TricksJessy
February 25, 2015 at 9:08 pm Thank you for stopping by, I'd love to pop over!Jessy
February 25, 2015 at 9:09 pm Also, Macie is half Cavalier- they are the sweetiest dogs!Katherines Corner
February 25, 2015 at 10:39 pm oh this is divine. I pinned to my just desserts board. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. xo Katherines Corner recently posted...Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 178Jessy
February 27, 2015 at 1:23 pm Thank you so much- I hope you enjoy!Katherines Corner
February 25, 2015 at 10:40 pm this is divine and I love it's simplicity with such a grand finish. Pinned to my just desserts board. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. xo Katherines Corner recently posted...Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 178Jessy
February 25, 2015 at 10:43 pm Thank you for the kind words and for pinning!Pam@over50feeling40
February 26, 2015 at 12:06 pm Looks so good...thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop! Please stop by to enter the very special giveaway on http://www.over50feeling40.com Pam@over50feeling40 recently posted...Tamera Beardsley: An I MATTER Woman; a Jewelry Giveaway and the Blog Hop!Jessy
February 27, 2015 at 1:22 pm I'll check it out- thanks for stopping by!Leanne
February 26, 2015 at 12:15 pm I love chocolate, so I'm going to make this recipe! Thank you for sharing this post, glad I found it. Come join the Mix It Up Friday blog link up tomorrow morning at http://www.classyyettrendy.com Leanne, Classy Yet Trendy Leanne recently posted...Spring Accessories at TargetJessy
February 27, 2015 at 1:22 pm I'll be sure to stop by- thank you for the kind words and enjoy :)Jennie @ The Diary of a Real Housewife
February 26, 2015 at 8:56 pm Yum, looks so yummy! I would love if you would share on my Friday Favorites linkup! Jennie @ The Diary of a Real Housewife recently posted...Friday FavoritesJessy
February 27, 2015 at 1:21 pm Thank you so much- I'll definitely stop by!Jann Olson
February 27, 2015 at 9:49 pm Looks super yummy and I love that it's so easy! Thanks for sharing with SYC. hugs, JannJessy
February 28, 2015 at 10:29 pm Thank you- It's all about keeping it easy :)Alyssa
February 28, 2015 at 7:51 pm Yummy Yummy! Thanks for linking up at the Home Matters Linky Party. #homematterparty Alyssa recently posted...Home Matters Linky Party #26Jessy
February 28, 2015 at 10:29 pm Thank you- enjoy!Carol
March 5, 2015 at 3:45 pm Oh I am always in the mood for chocolate mousse and a 4 ingredient recipe? Perfect! Featuring when my weekly party opens up tonight.Jessy
March 6, 2015 at 5:39 pm I hope you enjoy- thanks for the feature and for stopping by :)Jenny @ Women With Intention
March 5, 2015 at 10:19 pm Yum! Can't wait to try it! :) Jenny @ Women With Intention recently posted...Women With Intention Wednesdays #9Jessy
March 5, 2015 at 10:36 pm Thank you- enjoy!Mary Denman
March 18, 2015 at 8:54 pm Looks amazing! Going to try this!!!! Popping over from Friday Flash Blog. :) Mary Denman recently posted...Wordless Wednesday: Sunrise, SunriseJessy
March 19, 2015 at 11:07 am Thank you so much- I hope you enjoy!Jessica @ The Pen & the Needle
June 9, 2015 at 2:49 pm This looks sooo good! I'm a huge chocolate fan, so this is prefect for me! LOL. I will be trying this recipe out for myself very soon! Jessica @ The Pen & the Needle recently posted...Famous People That are My AgeJessy
June 10, 2015 at 8:50 am I hope you enjoy!Sacha
June 9, 2015 at 3:08 pm Im going to try this right away lol..but it does look good Sacha recently posted...The best gift I ever gotJessy
June 10, 2015 at 8:49 am It's dangerously easy!Kathy
December 20, 2016 at 8:50 pm I can hardly wait to try theseJessy
December 21, 2016 at 8:30 am Enjoy :)