This decadently rich and creamy Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse with Pistachios and Sea Salt is so elegant yet easy to make! It takes less than 30 minutes to whip together and is the definition of gourmet made simple.
The Best Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse
Rich creamy dark chocolate deliciously spiced with warm, fragrant notes of cinnamon and just the right amount of heat from cayenne pepper, this Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse is what dreams are made of! It’s topped with chopped pistachios, goji berries, chopped dark chocolate shavings and flaked sea salt for an incredible flavor combination. Trust me, you need this Mexican chocolate mousse in your life.
My Love for Chocolate Desserts
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m a chocoholic. I could have eaten awesome all day but when I sit down at night I start craving chocolate (yes I’m working on solutions to this problem). Chocolate and I definitely have a love hate relationship.
And so if you ask me what I would like for dessert, the answer is: yep you guessed it. Chocolate! Molten chocolate lava cake, gooey chocolate brownies with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh raspberry sauce, chocolate pavlova with clouds of whipped cream and berries, it goes on and on my friends.
PS- I really do have self control… most of the time.
At the top of my chocolate lovers list would definitely have to be this Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse. It is just heavenly. I love food that has all of the flavor elements (sweet, spicy, savory, salty, etc.) and this recipe has it all! It’s so delicious that I promise it will win over any chocolate lovers heart.
Easy Chocolate Desserts to Impress
One of my favorite things about this Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse, is how easy it is to make! It takes less than 30 minutes to whip together, and is practically impossible to mess up so even the most inexperienced cook can succeed at making it!
It’s the perfect elegant dessert to serve at parties, because it sets up in the refrigerator overnight, so you can easily make it the day before for a stress free dinner party. I promise, your guests will be so impressed!
How to Make Chocolate Bowls
Now depending on how much effort you want to put in, you can serve this Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse in small, individual elegant serving dishes (like little glass cups or bowls) or you can make your own bowls COMPLETELY OUT OF CHOCOLATE like these ones I made! They honestly are so easy to make and take less than 30 minutes start to finish. Plus, I had a blast making them!
If you would like to make your own, you just need some small balloons (I used ones that are a little larger than water ballons, but you can use any size you like depending on how big you want your bowls to be. Below I will list the supplies and steps I used to create these bowls!
Supplies for Chocolate Bowls:
- small balloons
- dark chocolate melts
- white chocolate melts
- cooking spray
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Steps for Making Chocolate Bowls:
- Blow up your balloons to the size you want your bowls to be and tie them.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt your white and dark chocolate in two separate bowls. I melt mine in the microwave, but make sure you temper the chocolate so it doesn’t turn dull. I do this by only melting 2/3 of the chocolate in the bowl in short 15-30 second bursts, stirring in between until melted, and then stirring in the remaining 1/3 to finish melting it.
- Spray the round bottom of the balloon with cooking spray (or use a paper towel with some canola or coconut oil to grease the balloon. You don’t want too much spray or oil or the chocolate won’t stick, but if you don’t spray at all you will have a very hard time getting the balloon off of the chocolate bowl at the end.
- To get started making the bowls, take a small spoonful of chocolate and place it on the parchment paper in a small circle (same size as spoon). This will be the base for your bowl, so you can match the color or make a different color base.
- Dip your balloon in the chocolate to the desired height you want your bowl (I did about half way up) and then place the balloon on top of the chocolate base on your parchment paper. You can have fun with this by angling your balloon so that one side is a lower height than the other (angled bowl) or you can even use a spoon to spread the chocolate on to make cool jagged edges or shapes to the bowl. Those were some of my favorites!
- If you want a design on your bowl, you can take the opposite color of chocolate and use it to make a swirl by dripping it onto the chocolate already on your balloon (I went around in a spiral) before placing the balloon on the chocolate base on the parchment paper.
- Let the bowls harden for about an hour, then pop the balloon with a sharp knife and carefully peel it away from the bowl. WARNING: your bowl may break. Be prepared for this and make a few extra! If it only breaks along the top edge though, you can play with it to make it jagged and look like you intentionally made it look that way, wink wink.
Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse
This decadently rich and creamy Mexican Dark Chocolate Mousse with Pistachios and Sea Salt is so elegant yet easy to make! It takes less than 30 minutes to whip together and is the definition of gourmet made simple.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 16 oz. dark chocolate (chopped bar or chocolate chips)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Toppings
- chopped pistachios
- goji berries
- flaked sea salt
- chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the lightly beaten egg yolks.
- In a medium saucepan melt the dark chocolate, corn syrup and butter over medium heat until melted, stirring regularly to combine and prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Stir the cinnamon and cayenne pepper into the chocolate mixture until combined.
- Add the egg and cream mixture to the chocolate in the saucepan, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Beat remaining cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until combined and no white streaks remain.
- Pour into serving bowls and chill in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap) overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. You can also chill in the freezer for 3 hours if you are in a hurry, although this method is not preferred.
- Serve topped with chopped pistachios, goji berries, chopped dark chocolate and flaked sea salt.
Notes
*Make sure you plan ahead to give yourself time to chill this in the fridge! I definitely prefer it overnight!
Keywords: chocolate mousse, Mexican chocolate mousse, Mexican desserts, chocolate desserts, dessert, sweets, chocolate, easy recipe, 30 minute recipes, elegant desserts, pistachios, goji berries, gluten free
For more delicious chocolate desserts check out these recipes!
- Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
- Healthier Samoa Brownies (vegan, gluten-free and naturally sweetened!)
- Salted Dark Chocolate Snack Bark from my friend Aleka at Bite Sized Kitchen
I really liked this mousse. The spices were great and I added the amount the recipe called for, but I think I’ll add more next time just because I want a little more kick :). I think it made more than 6 servings, so next time I’m also going to use smaller dishes for each portion. It is VERY rich and full of chocolate flavor and as I’ve gotten older, I find that I can’t each as much chocolate in one sitting as I used to.
★★★★★
Glad to hear you liked this Mexican mousse! It is super rich and decadent for sure – I often make them in small ramekins as well or even share!
This looks gorgeous! I love the flavor combination you’ve got going on. Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts!
★★★★★
Thank you! I love chocolate mousse too, and usually I’m all about the milk chocolate and berries. However this spicy Mexican dark chocolate, pistachio sea salt combo was just heaven!
Chocolate mousse is one of my favorites! I love the addition of pistachios!
★★★★★
Thanks! I love the little crunch and they really complement the heat in the Mexican dark chocolate!
Oh wow, this sounds so fantastic. One question – do you think I could replace the corn syrup with something else? Like maple syrup or honey?
★★★★★
Good question! So I’ve never tried substituting those sweeteners with this mousse recipe so I honestly can’t tell you how it would turn out. My guess is that it may change the texture a little, but that the flavor would still be really good! You’ll have to let me know what you think!
I adore chocolate so the mousse is perfect for me and the bowls are so much fun!! My kids will get a kick out of them.
The bowls really are so fun to make and my favorite part is that the ones that get messed up usually turn out the best so you can totally have your kids help!
Looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! You’ll have to let me know how you like it!
This seriously is heaven in a bowl! Chocolate mousse has always been a fave and I love the added pistachios and sea salt. And those bowls are absolutely adorable!! This is definitely going on the to-make list!
★★★★★
Thanks! The bowls were so fun and surprisingly easy to make!
Chocolate solves all the problems! Dark chocolate with a hint of cayenne pepper make the perfect combo in this Mexican mousse. Love those elegant edible bowls!
★★★★★
Oh yes, chocolate is my cure all! 😉
Wow, I love this Mexican dark chocolate mousse idea! The flavor
combination is what I go for! And I totally would make the chocolate bowls!! I’ve been wanting to try this out and have yet to do so!!
★★★★★
You should totally try them, they are so fun!