Free recipes from the Edible Times Newsletter are always Half-Scratch: half from scratch, half pantry staples. And budget-friendly, quick, and easy. Most are nutrient-dense meals with desserts sprinkled about.
This Nutella mousse is a simple, shortcut version of the French chocolate dessert. And whether you choose Nutella or an alternative spread, it's delightfully light and airy. And brimming with rich, chocolatey goodness. With careful whipping and proper folding technique, you can serve up a showstopper of a chocolate dessert in ten minutes' time.
On Mousse
Mousse is a classical French dessert akin to a light pudding or custard. Traditionally, you create a thick base mixture, enrich it with egg or egg yolks, and lighten it with whipped cream or meringue. With Nutella as the base, a nutty chocolate mousse comes together quickly and easily. This recipe includes two types of cream to loosen the sticky hazelnut and chocolate spread. And the process takes only ten minutes.
Initially published in 2013, I dreamed this one up shortly after graduating from the CIA as a quick, no-fuss way to enjoy a long-neglected jar of Nutella. And the secret to the silkiest texture is all in how you whip the cream. It's a showstopping ending for any holiday feast or even a fun, seductive Valentine's Day dessert. But it's easy enough for an impromptu get-together or routine Friday night.
Chef’s Tips
Whip the cream slower and longer. It can be tempting to crank the mixer up to high to whip it quickly. But whipped cream is more stable when beaten at a slower speed. This allows a larger amount of smaller air bubbles to become trapped between the fat molecules. The more bonds created during whipping the more stable it becomes. And the lighter and more luscious your Nutella mousse.
Always fold the whipped cream into the base mixture. Not the other way around. There are mousse recipes out there that wrongly tell you to add the base - in this case, the Nutella mixture - to the whipped cream. Please don't do that, it's entirely backward. You always want to fold the lighter or foamed ingredient into the thicker base mixture. Like when making Japanese soufflé pancakes. This helps prevent deflating all the air you spent time beating into the cream.
The Recipe
The thick, sticky spread is lightened first with sour cream or luxurious crème fraîche (which you won't see in many other recipes). And then with whipped cream. Add in espresso, vanilla, or liqueur for even more flavor. This recipe makes four to six servings depending on the size of your bowls.
Ingredients
½ cup of Nutella* (6 ounces)
1 teaspoon of instant espresso, optional
¼ cup of sour cream or crème fraîche (2.5 ounces)
¼ teaspoon or a healthy pinch of fine sea salt or kosher salt (table salt is also fine)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, optional
3 tablespoons of granulated or caster sugar (optional to sweeten whipped cream)
1½ cups of heavy whipping cream (a little over 12 ounces)
Garnishes
toasted, chopped hazelnuts
Ferrero Rocher candies
chopped or shaved dark chocolate
sweetened, whipped cream or crème fraîche
fresh berries
Method
Mise en place. French for all in place. Wash your hands, gather your equipment, and measure out all of your ingredients.
Mix the base for the mousse. In a small bowl, stir a half teaspoon of hot water into the instant espresso, if using. Then in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Nutella or your preferred spread, sour cream or crème fraîche, dissolved espresso, vanilla extract, and salt.
Whip and fold in the cream. In a mixing bowl, whip the cream on medium speed with the granulated sugar (if using) until it reaches soft peaks, about three to five minutes. Mix in a third of the whipped cream to the Nutella base with a bit of force to lighten and smooth it out. Then gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the mixture in two or three additions. Use gentle, circular strokes scraping from underneath the mixture, around the sides of the bowl, and carefully over the top. The mousse will lighten in color and increase in volume.
Portion and chill. Divide the mousse among four to six serving bowls and place them in the refrigerator to set for 24 hours (if you can).
Garnish and serve. Garnish the mousse with chocolate shavings, toasted hazelnuts, fresh berries, dollops of sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche, or halved Ferrero Rocher candies.
For a more in-depth read and step-by-step photos, read the expanded instructions and FAQs for Nutella mousse on my website here.