Chocolate Mousse Cookies Two Ways Recipes

CHOCOLATE COOKIE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Crush 16 cookies; sprinkle into an 8-in. square dish. Drizzle with milk. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 2/3 cup cream and chocolate chips. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds. Stir; microwave 20-40 seconds longer or until chips are melted. Stir until smooth; cool to room temperature. , Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat remaining cream until soft peak form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spread a third of the chocolate mixture over crushed cookies. Separate eight cookies; place over chocolate mixture. Repeat. Top with remaining chocolate mixture. Garnish with remaining whole cookies. Cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Bring an inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the cream and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. When the water boils, turn the heat to low so the water is barely simmering or just steaming. Set the bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, gently stirring with a whisk now and then.
• While the chocolate melts, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium speed. When the whites are foamy, add the sugar in a slow stream while whisking. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. The whites should look glossy but not dry, and, when you lift the whisk from the mixture, a peak should form in the bowl and hold.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the saucepan. Holding the bowl with a kitchen towel, add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. If the mixture looks broken, remove the bowl from the saucepan, cool for a minute, then add 1 tablespoon cream and whisk just until shiny and smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. (Don't worry if it still doesn't look completely smooth. It will come together in the next step.)
• Add a quarter of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture and stir gently with a flexible rubber spatula until incorporated but still a little streaky. This will make it easier to fold in the remaining whites to create an airy mousse by gradually lowering the temperature of the chocolate (tempering) and making the mixture loose.
• Add the rest of the whites and fold them in by running the spatula from 12 o'clock on the bowl to 6 o'clock, then scooping up the chocolate on the bottom and gently folding it over the whites as you move toward 9 o'clock. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue folding just until the last streak of white disappears. It's OK if there are a few lumps of whites left. It's better to not deflate the batter by folding too much.
• Scoop into a pretty bowl or into individual cups or bowls for serving if you'd like. Otherwise, keep it in the mixing bowl. Refrigerate the mousse uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 more hours and preferably 24. The covered mousse can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• If you'd like to serve the mousse with whipped cream, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. A cup or two of heavy cream is plenty for this amount of mousse. Serve the mousse cold, straight from the refrigerator, with the whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE COOKIES TWO WAYS

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE MOUSSE: In a large metal bowl set over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water, melt the chocolate and the 2 tablespoons butter. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks until thick and pale, about 5 minutes; stir in the vanilla.
• In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and simmer over medium heat until the mixture reaches a soft ball stage, 234°F on a candy thermometer. In a slow, steady stream, add the sugar mixture to the egg yolk mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until thickened and cooled, about 5 minutes.
• Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture, one-third at a time. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream at high speed until soft peaks start to form. (If you continue to beat the cream beyond this point, the mousse will get lumpy.) Gently fold the whipped cream and amaretto, if desired, into the chocolate mixture.
• TO MAKE THE TUILES: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.
• In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup butter and stir in the 1/2 cup sugar and almonds until combined. Stir in the corn syrup, flour, and salt; remove from the heat and let cool 15 minutes.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of dough at least 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. Roll the warm cookies into cones. If the cookies get too hard, return to the oven for 1 or 2 minutes. Cool completely and store in airtight containers, with waxed paper between layers.
• TO MAKE THE MERINGUES: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 4 egg whites, cream of tartar, and pinch of salt on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the 1 1/4 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe 2-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave them inside the closed oven for 1 hour more, or overnight if that is easier.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Spoon the mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. For the tuiles, pipe about 1 tablespoon of mousse into each cone. For the meringue, pipe it on top of each meringue disk.
• The mousse must be made the day it is served. Pipe the mousse into the cookies about 2 hours before serving and keep at room temperature. The tuiles and the meringues can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept in airtight containers. (Be sure to separate the tuiles with waxed paper as they tend to stick together.) If the weather is very humid, it is best make both cookies the day you plan to serve them.