Cool, creamy and full of rich chocolate flavor, you won’t miss the added fat and calories in this lightened up chocolate mousse recipe. Perfect for Valentine’s Day but healthy enough to eat any day of the year.
When it comes to dessert, I almost always gravitate towards chocolate. In fact, my daily splurge is usually a square or two (or three) of high quality, dark chocolate. Despite the name of this blog, I’m actually not a huge fan of lemony desserts and I rarely make crisps, cobblers or crumbles unless I have a bunch of fruit to use up after apple picking or a day at the blueberry patch.
That being said, when my friends at Circulon challenged me to create a healthy and delicious dessert for Valentine’s Day, I knew immediately that I was going to create a lighter version of the classic chocolate mousse. In fact, just recently I splurged and made Bobby Flay’s Dark Chocolate Mousse for New Year’s Eve. While completely delicious and decadent, my body is not used to such rich, heavy sweets so I was eager to make a healthier version.
My chocolate espresso mousse is a nod to my mother who always adds espresso powder to chocolate desserts. Every year on our birthdays she bakes a giant yellow duck cake topped with a chocolate espresso frosting. It is to die for and coffee simply heightens the natural chocolate flavors.
This version also happens to be naturally gluten free and can easily be made dairy free by using Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips.
How will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?? Are you hitting the town or making a cozy meal at home?
Your loved ones are waiting.
Chocolate Espresso Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 ounce package silken tofu 12.3
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 pinch pinch sea salt
- chocolate shavings optional garnish
Instructions
- Remove the silken tofu from the package and drain out any excess liquid. Place in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler by simply heating them in a heat-proof bowl placed on top of a small pan with simmering hot water. Stir continuously with a rubber spatula until chocolate chips have completely melted being careful not to let the chocolate burn. Remove bowl of melted chocolate from the heat.
- Stir the vanilla extract, espresso powder and salt into the melted chocolate until combined. Add chocolate mixture to the tofu in the food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Divide chocolate mousse between two glasses or serving bowls and refrigerate until chilled – 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
Pearl F.
So this is basically chocolate silken tofu?
Liz DellaCroce
Exactly!
ChrisP
I’m trying to add up the carbs of the ingredients, and I only get about 13 for the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Everything else is negligible. Yet the nutrition facts gives ~30g carbs per serving (2 servings in recipe)?
Anybody?
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Chris- There are 47.5 total grams of carbs from the chocolate chips in this recipe alone so when you add in the other carbs and divide by two you get around 30. Let me know if that helps explain!
Paula – bell’alimento
This is right up my alley! I love that it is on the lighter side!
Liz DellaCroce
Thanks Paula! Super creamy and good!
Kate
Just made this! Yummy!!! I swapped lite silken tofu and only used 2 Tbsp of chocolate chips. That made the whole recipe 300 calories, so each serving is only 150!! I also added splenda because I have a sweet tooth ;-)
Liz DellaCroce
That sounds PERFECT! So glad you enjoyed and made it your own!
Lorali
What brand of espresso powder do you get? I use espresso made from espresso beans.
Liz DellaCroce
It’s *instant* espresso powder but instant coffee works too. Cheap brand is perfect for this!
Gaby
Chocolate and espresso are one of my very favorite combos and this mousse sounds super amazing and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Liz DellaCroce
Thanks Gaby!