By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(366)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Dense and very creamy, this dark chocolate mousse has pockets of sesame tahini swirled through it, weaving a nutty flavor into the bittersweet. The candied cacao nibs add a piquant, caramelized crunch. But feel free to skip them, and simply sprinkle plain nibs on top of the mousse. Or substitute another crunchy topping, such as chopped, toasted almonds or walnuts, or sesame brittle.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1cup/240 milliliters cold heavy cream
- 1tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 5ounces/140 grams extra bittersweet chocolate (around 70 percent), chopped
- ½cup/65 grams confectioners’ sugar
- ¼cup/60 milliliters tahini
- ⅓cup/80 milliliters crème fraîche
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ⅔cup/160 milliliters heavy cream
- ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/60 grams cacao nibs
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
For the Chocolate Mousse
For the Tahini Mousse
For the Candied Cacao Nibs (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
400 calories; 30 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 90 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the cream for the chocolate mousse: Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or beaters, combine ¾ cup cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt. Whip to medium-firm peaks, then transfer whipped cream to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to finish the mousse in Step 6.
Step
2
Prepare the tahini mousse: In the same mixer bowl (no need to wipe it out), combine confectioners’ sugar, tahini, crème fraîche, vanilla extract and salt. Beat everything together until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Step
3
Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat in cream until the tahini mousse thickens. It will be thinner than whipped cream but should still mound on a spoon. Refrigerate while you finish preparing chocolate mousse.
Step
4
Place chocolate in a small bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst. Heat an inch of water in a medium pot over medium-high until simmering. (Alternatively, put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl and place it over the simmering water. Stir chocolate occasionally with a silicone spatula until it melts.)
Step
5
Remove bowl of melted chocolate from the pot. Pour in remaining ¼ cup cream, and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth.
Step
6
Using a rubber spatula, fold in ⅓ of the prepared whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whipped cream.
Step
7
Gently fold tahini mousse into chocolate mousse, leaving very visible streaks. Place mixture in serving bowls or ramekins, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Step
8
As mousse sets, make the candied cacao nibs (if using): Heat oven to 325 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pot, bring sugar and ¼ cup/60 milliliters water to a boil, and simmer, stirring, until sugar has completely melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cacao nibs.
Step
9
Spread nibs in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until dry and crunchy, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool completely.
Step
10
Spoon nibs, if using, on top of mousse, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
366
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Cooking Notes
Laura Perry
Cacao nibs, unlike chocolate chips, are unsweetened. When I tasted them out of the bag, I was dubious whether they would work in this dessert. But now that I’ve made it, the nibs and flaky salt turned out to be fabulous with the mousse - I piled on extra to get the crunch with every creamy mouthful of mousse. Top marks!
Mariabelle
Just to answer a couple of comments: Step 4 is simply giving you two ways to melt the chocolate, stovetop or microwave. You can also melt chocolate beautifully on the lowest setting of an induction burner.I would suggest not subbing the cocoa nibs fearing you might have some left over. Try using them in creative ways. They are highly nutritious and full of antioxidants. They are great sprinkled on a salad or on your morning oatmeal or on a sweet bisque, such as butternut squash soup.
maeve
I forgot to say that I don't see why you couldn't substitute chocolate chips or even shaved chocolate from a bar. That way you aren't stuck with a pricey product that you might not use again -- or worse, eat all at one time!
maeve
Small pieces of crushed cocoa beans - check online. I get mine at a local liquor store that also carries chocolate, cheeses, and all kinds of specialty foods. I think they have chocolates to go with all the wine they sell -:).
Deborah Chud
Has anyone else had trouble with chocolate seizing in this recipe? I followed the recipe and tried all options for melting it but it seized every time. Any thoughts/
Deborah
Easy and delicious. The candied nibs make it.
Very Fun
Used cashew butter & sour cream, had a bit extra cashew mousse. Topped with toffee bits, came out great and lots of fun to make.
Wendy
As described, the recipe is very dense so dividing them into small ramekins would be ideal. I don't usually cook with tahini so I replaced it with 1/5 cup of smooth peanut butter instead. Turned out yummy! Would definitely make this again
Becca
It’s super rich, so I wish I didn’t make it for just me... but it was delicious.I used Greek yogurt instead of Cremé Fraiche and it was fine, but I’m not sure what it was supposed to taste like. I was never able to get my tahini mousse to hold its shape, even after beating for 10+ minutes.Next time I’d add cinnamon to the chocolate and/or cardamom to the tahini. I also agree with the suggestion to up the tahini a little. The nibs are nice, but toasted almonds would be a decent sub.
Suzanne Anderson
My tahini mousse didn't firm up either
ayla
This mousse gets so many compliments. I made it for a dairy-free person recently and replaced heavy cream with coconut cream, crème fraîche with Violife vegan cream cheese. It worked great, lighter and fluffier. I usually forget / burn the cacao nibs in the oven so have just started sprinkling them on raw — that’s fine too. Also great with a few blueberries on top. Truly my favorite dessert!
Mary Buford
I almost never make desserts, but did make this for a special, socially distant Thanksgiving feast where eight of us join up for a drink on the porch at midday, then we all go home with a packet of goodies to heat and eat at home. This is my dessert contribution. Never got to the "nibs," which I'd barely heard of, but used fancy Dutch chocolate sprinkles instead. Have tasted already - worthy of a feast!
Barbara
Frankly, I thought this was weird and not very tasty. And I'm a fairly adventuresome eater. I love tahini but it didn't work for me in this context.
Dana
This rules!! Very rave reviews all around. Used sour cream as a substitute because I didn’t have creme fraiche - still amazing.
Amy
Navitas Organics makes Cacao Sweet Nibs, which make a great sub here if you don’t want to candy your own nibs.
abns
wow this was so delicious
Leslie
I over beat the whip cream slightly as well as the tahini mousse, so the dessert texture was on the dry side for me. And I think I folded the chocolate mousse and the tahini mousse a bit too much so I didn’t get the nice swirls. Finally, 20 mins of the cocoa nibs at 325 degrees resulted in burned nibs. Nevertheless the dessert was nice. I cut the recipe in half since I’m only cooking for two.
Al
I didn't have creme fraiche so I used greek yogurt. Next time I will use more tahini, the flavor was there, but too mild IMO. I would probably increase the overall ratio of the tahini mousse to chocolate. Very rich and a small portion is filling (just eat slowly and it will catch up to you!Flaky sea salt and crunchy nibs were huge for flavor and texture, would not skip that part. But if you don't have nibs on hands, nuts or another crunchy element might do. Overall very good
Kristen
I bought a large bag of cacao nibs on Amazon for $6.99. Trader Joe’s has had both plain and sweetened, chocolate-covered nibs in the past, although I haven’t seen them in their stores recently. Lastly, I’ve also found them in Marshall’s and TJ Max. There are a lot of recipes you can use them in, so I wouldn’t be worried about leftovers going to waste!
Deborah
Quick, easy, sophisticated, and delicious. The candied nibs are a must.
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