Allergy friendly. cupcake happy!

I remember the first time I tried chocolate mousse. I was at a friend’s house, and she brought me to the refrigerator to sneak a treat before dinner. She uncovered a small white bowl which contained a smooth, velvety, chocolaty, sweet and creamy substance in it. We scooped out big dollops of it with our fingers and licked away! What a fun memory! I wonder if she remembers that we did that?

I once thought that Savannah would never be able to eat such a decadent treat. Any mousse recipe that I had seen contained heavy whipping cream, and even the quickie Jello recipe was made with milk and Cool Whip. But I eventually came across a few different chocolate mousse recipes that were dairy-free. And to my surprise, they were quite tasty!

The recipe here is my favorite dairy-free chocolate mousse. It is absolutely delicious on its own, but it also works great as a filling for a layer cake or on top of cupcakes. The thing I love the most about this chocolate mousse…I have caught Savannah licking the spoon!

Adapted from chefchloe.com

Chocolate Mousse
Serves 8-12

1/2 cup coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
1 tsp. instant espresso powder, optional
1 cup non-dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips (I recommend Enjoy Life or Whole Foods 365 Vegan Chocolate Chips)
1 13.5 oz can of full-fat coconut milk, chilled several days (I recommend Thai Kitchen or Whole Foods 365)
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Procedure:

1. Chill the metal bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer in the freezer at least 30 minutes prior to preparing chocolate mousse.
2. In the interim, whisk the non-dairy milk and espresso in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
3. Once the espresso is incorporated, add the chocolate chips and whisk over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, let cool, and then chill in the refrigerator until cool to the touch, about 15 minutes (do not “over chill.” Mixture should be cool but not solidified).
5. Open the canned coconut milk from the bottom side. Pour off clear liquid coconut milk portion and reserve for another use (or see note below on how to use this as the non-dairy milk in this recipe).
6. Scoop the cream from the top of the coconut milk can into the bowl of the chilled stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and using the chilled whisk attachment, beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fluffy.
7. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the stand mixer and beat on low speed until incorporated.
8. Cover the mousse and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Serve the mousse in custard cups, garnished with chocolate chips or shavings. May also be piped onto the tops of cupcakes or used as a layered cake filling.

Note: For the non-dairy milk in this recipe, I pour the liquid portion of the canned coconut milk into a measuring cup, and if necessary, add enough of another non-dairy milk to equal ½ cup.