Easy Nutella Chocolate Mousse

With my children away at sleepaway camp for a few weeks, there’s a whole lot of pressure on my husband—to eat. I’m not one of those uber-annoying food bloggers who, like, never ever eats what she makes. I’m not even sure why that’s annoying, since what’s the difference to you if I eat it or if I don’t. But I do eat it. Sometimes, it’s not my favorite, and I keep that to myself for obvious reasons. But mostly I’ll eat anything, anything at all. Here’s the thing, though: I’m only one person. And sometimes I have to make things like this smooth and dreamy, Easy Nutella Chocolate Mousse a few times before I get it just right. My husband eats later than the kids during the week, so he usually gets what’s left. Poor guy. But with the kids away? His cup (and his plate) runneth over.

This is a lot like the chocolate mousse from the Gluten Free Chocolate Mousse Cake that is the cake of my dreams. But, um, it’s Nutella chocolate mousse. Come to think of it, you could use this mousse in place of that one in that cake, and blow everyone’s mind.

Something else this simple chocolate mousse has going for it? Very nice, long refrigerator life. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for days and days. So I don’t have to force my husband and my neighbors to eat too much of a very, very good and velvety chocolate thing until the kids come home.

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: none       Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed is best, but natural will work, too)

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water (about 85°F)

9 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

8 tablespoons (148 g) Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread

2 cups (16 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream

Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for serving (optional)

Directions

• In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder into the warm water until it dissolves completely. Set it aside. In a small, heat-safe bowl, place the chopped chocolate, and place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Melt the chocolate over the simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave in short, 30-second bursts, stirring well in between.) Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add the Nutella and the cocoa powder dissolved in water into it, whisking until smooth. The mixture should be relatively thick but smooth and shiny. Set the bowl aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of whipped cream slowly, carefully folding the ingredients together and taking care not to deflate the whipped cream more than necessary. Fold until no white streaks remain.

• Transfer the mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large, plain, open piping tip. Pipe the mousse into small ramekins, jars or a well-greased miniature cheesecake pan. Place in the refrigerator to chill until firm (about 2 hours). Serve chilled, with the (optional) whipped cream and chocolate shavings.