Chocolate mousse makes me indescribably happy.  It’s been on my all-time favorite desserts list for, oh about as long as I’ve been eating dessert.  What’s not to love about it?  Airy, light texture that packs a rich, chocolate-y punch.  And for such an elegant dessert, it’s surprisingly easy to make.  The hardest part is waiting for it to set in the fridge without digging in early.  I’ve made it a number of times, with different flavor variations, and I am particularly fond of adding coffee to make it a mocha mousse.

Of course, most recipes take raw eggs, a fact which I have tried my best to ignore over the years of making and eating chocolate mousse.  And most of these recipes don’t have you cook the eggs even a little bit.  Both the yolks and the whites are mixed in just as they are.  Since nothing is going to stop me from eating chocolate mousse, it’s great to have Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs with which to make it.  I can serve it to even my littlest child without fear of making them sick.  I’m not one to worry too much about these things for myself, but with my kids, it’s always a concern.

I wasn’t actually certain that my mousse made with Safest Choice Eggs would be a success.  I’d tried to whip their egg whites previously and had not luck, because the pasteurization process does change the proteins in the whites somewhat.  But after a little research, I discovered the trick and this time they whipped up beautifully.  The trick is quite simply that you must bring the egg whites to room temperature before beating (this is actually helpful with unpasteurized egg whites as well).  It worked like a charm.

And I will say, this may have been the best mousse I have ever made.  The coffee was the perfect complement to offset the chocolate.  It was incredibly rich, but the texture was amazingly light.   My kids were over the moon to have it for dessert and have already been clamoring for me to make it again.  How could I possibly say no?

Please see the full recipe at Safest Choice Eggs Blog  – If it’s not there when you read this, give them time.  I am always up much earlier (like, ridiculously early!) than they are!  🙂

Mocha Mousse:

2 tbsp butter

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

1/4 to 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee

6 tbsp powdered erythritol, divided

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

15 drops stevia extract

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks together until smooth.  When chocolate is lukewarm, whisk in egg yolks.  Mixture will become very thick and chocolate will seize.  Add ¼ cup strong coffee and whisk vigorously.  Continue to add 1 tbsp strong coffee at a time until chocolate mixture becomes smooth (will still be quite thick).  Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with 2 tbsp powdered erythritol, the salt and the cream of tartar until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry.  This may take 10 minutes or so.  Use a stand mixer if you have one.

In another bowl, beat cream with remaining erythritol, the vanilla and stevia (if using) until it holds soft peaks.

Stir a couple of large spoonfuls of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.  Then carefully fold the chocolate mixture back into the egg whites.  Fold in the cream thoroughly but gently.  Spoon or pipe into serving dish or individual serving cups and chill at least 2 hours.

Serves 8.  Each serving has 3.8 g of carb and 1.5 g of fiber.  Total NET CARBS = 2.3 g.