Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: mousse

  • Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Pretzel Crust

    Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Pretzel Crust

    Back in the day I used to make a simple chocolate mousse that was just two ingredients.  Whipped cream and chocolate.  You whipped the cream to soft peaks then folded in melted dark chocolate.  It was one of the most delicious things ever, so simple but so good.  A few bites were satisfying but I always finished off my whole glass of it because it was also hard to stop eating. It was also something that you could easily add flavors to, and one of my favorites was peanut butter.  Luckily this mousse is easily made vegan by just using whipped full fat coconut milk or cream!  And it makes a wonderful tart or pie filling so when I was craving the mousse last weekend I decided to make a Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Pretzel Crust!

       

    I have been wanting to make a pretzel crust for a while now, and I had a bag of pretzels sitting in my pantry so I decided to go for it!  I thought the salty pretzels would be a perfect match with the dark chocolate and peanut butter!  I also love that they are fairly easy to make like a graham cracker crust would be, just mix in the food processor and press into the pan! I used a tart pan this time for easy removal.  That is what I love about removable bottom tart pans!  This crust just had 3 ingredients, the pretzels, coconut sugar and melted vegan butter!  If you wanted to use regular granulated sugar if you do not have coconut sugar you can do that as well. And if you prefer to use coconut oil in place of the butter that would work too.  I just happened to have a stick of vegan butter on hand.

    Like I mentioned before, this filling is really easy to make!  You just buzz coconut milk, peanut butter, a little vanilla extract until smooth, then pour in melted dark chocolate with the motor running on the food processor just until blended.  One thing to remember though, is sometimes this filling starts to firm up so it is important to work quickly.  If that happens, just re-blend it and it should be ok, it will just take a little longer to set if it gets warmer. 

    Let me tell you, the filling was hard to stop eating, I was scraping every last bit of it from the food processor to enjoy!  The finished product was even better though!  The crunchy salty crust was such a nice contrast to the smooth, rich sweet chocolate peanut butter filling!  I topped it off with more peanuts and chocolate chips to make it pretty!  If you are a dark chocolate fan, definitely give this Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Pretzel Crust a try!

    Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Pretzel Crust

    Make one 9 inch tart

    Crust:

    • 2 3/4 cups crushed pretzels
    • 8 oz melted Earth Balance Vegan Butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut sugar

     

    Filling:

    • 1 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk, chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours
    • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
    • 3 Tbsp peanut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    Garnish:

    • roasted peanuts
    • vegan dark chocolate chips

     

      Instructions:

    1. For the crust, in a food processor, combine the pretzels and sugar and pulse until they are sand like pieces. 
    2. Add the butter and pulse until they are holding together.
    3. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides. 
    4. Place the crust on a sheet pan, then bake in a 350F degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.
    5. For the filling, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then pour into a glass measuring cup with a spout.
    6. Place the coconut milk, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth.
    7. Turn the food processor on, and with the motor running, slowly pour the chocolate into it and blend until uniform in color.
    8. Immediately pour the filling over the crust and spread evenly (if you don’t do it immediately it may start to firm up, if that happens just re-blend until smooth and spreadable).  Place in the refrigerator to firm up (about an hour).
    9. Garnish with peanuts and chocolate chips before serving!
  • Vegan Chocolate Almond Mousse Tarts

    Vegan Chocolate Almond Mousse Tarts

    I am in a chocolate dessert sort of mood lately. Maybe it is because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and chocolate just feels right, or because eating chocolate seems to make me forget about winter.  Anyways, I decided that I needed something chocolaty last week, and since I had already recently made brownies and cake, I thought something with a chocolate mousse sounded lovely!  What I decided on was chocolate mousse tarts. My Mom had recently talked about a chocolate almond butter tart that she used to buy at Trader Joes that was really good, that she couldn’t get anymore.  So, I thought I would make something kind of similar and share.

    Little tarts are perfect for sharing! Plus, I know I feel special when I am enjoying my own cute little mini dessert.  These do require baking for the crust portion, but they aren’t difficult to make.  For the crust, I had thought about making them no bake, but I wanted the rich buttery pie crust that comes with baking.  I just used my classic pie crust dough and it worked perfect!

    For the filling I used coconut milk, the full fat kind that is mostly cream.  Please note, this thick kind is absolutely essential to the recipe turning out and thickening.  Plus, it makes it darn delicious when it is all rich and smooth.  Also, I added almond butter since these are chocolate almond butter tarts.  The filling was silky smooth and packed with chocolate flavor thanks to the large amount of cacao powder I used in it.

    I was pleasantly surprised by how fast I whipped these up.  Then again I cooled the crusts out in my garage since it was below freezing out there.  They turned out sooo good!  The crust was buttery and flakey and the filling smooth rich and delicious with a slight nuttiness from the almonds, and plenty of rich cacao flavor!  If you are a chocolate fan, definitely give these a try!  They would be perfect for Valentine’s Day!

    Vegan Chocolate Almond Mousse Tarts

    Makes 4

    Crust:

    • 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp flour
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3-4 Tbsp filtered water or as needed

    Filling:

    • 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (the thick part from the top of the can of coconut milk, use a brand that has mostly coconut cream (3/4 of the can), or it will not work for this recipe)
    • 1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 3 Tbsp almond butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
    2. In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and sea salt in a bowl, and mix together with your hands, scrunching the coconut oil into the flour until you have smaller pea sized pieces.  Mix in the water until a dough is formed, then divide into 4 balls and press them into four 4 inch tart pans, into the bottoms and up the sizes of the pan so it looks nice.  Prick a few holes into the bottom with a fork.
    3. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and set.  Remove from the oven and let cool.
    4. To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer, stirring every so often until it is almost the consistency of mousse or whipped cream this will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how warm your ingredients were.
    5. Once the filling has thickened, spoon into the crusts (it will be mounded), then refrigerate until completely set (1/2 hour at least).
    6. Enjoy!

     

  • Vegan Turtle Chocolate Mousse Tart

    Vegan Turtle Chocolate Mousse Tart

    It has been absolutely gorgeous here in Minnesota lately!  The flowers are coming out full force with the lilacs and crab apple trees in bloom, and smelling heavenly, and the trees are looking full again.  I have been spending a lot of time outside, trying to soak up the sun and fresh air so I haven’t been making many recipes that are too complicated. Because you have to enjoy life, you know?  I have been making a lot of no-bake desserts also because the heating up the oven every night season is coming to an end.  My latest creation, a turtle mousse tart.  My Mom recently told me I should try to recreate a favorite mousse recipe that we used to make together when I was younger, so I went for it.

    The original recipe called for heavy cream and dark chocolate and that was it.  I sometimes used to add a little bourbon to it and that was amazing.  You just whipped the chilled cream, then slowly poured the melted chocolate into it to create the most luscious tasting mousse ever.  The veganized version I came up with is just as simple.  I whipped some coconut milk and maple syrup together in the food processor until smooth, then added my favorite vegan dark chocolate melted, blended and voila!  Deliciousness.   But I thought it deserved to be served in an even more grand fashion so I didn’t stop there.  I decided to make it into a tart.

    My Mom made tarts a lot when I was a kid, they were one of her favorite desserts, so I have grown to love them too.  It wasn’t going to just be a plain mousse tart though, as I mentioned earlier it was a turtle mousse tart.  Meaning gooey caramel and pecans joined the party as well.  I gave it a simple chocolate crust made from things I had on hand and it was the perfect base for the sweet dessert.  This tart was sooo good!  This is the type of thing you want to serve to guests to impress them.  The filling was luscious and decadent, the gooey sweet caramel the perfect topper and the pecans gave it the perfect amount of crunch.  I think this would make a wonderful Mother’s Day dessert, if your Mom is a chocolate lover!

    Vegan Turtle Chocolate Mousse Tart 
    Makes one 8 inch tart

    1 8 inch removable bottom tart pan

    Crust:

    • 3/4 cup finely shredded dried coconut
    • 3/4 cup gluten free organic rolled oats
    • 1/4 cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 Tbsp organic almond butter
    • 1 cup soft pitted medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them 30 minutes and drain well before using)
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • filtered water as needed

     

    Caramel:

    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw pecan butter or almond butter*
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 Tbsp filtered water

     

    Filling:

    • 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk, chilled
    • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup

     

    For assembly:

    • 3/4 cup toasted pecans

     

    Instructions:

    1. For the crust, combine all ingredients in the food processor until finely chopped and starting to hold together when squeezed (if it doesn’t you may need to add a little filtered water 1 Tbsp at a time).
    2. Press the mixture into a 8 inch removable bottom tart pan greased with coconut oil.
    3. For the caramel, combine the pecan butter, maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended.  Remove 2 Tbsp from the bowl to a smaller bowl, and whisk the cocoa powder and water together with that smaller bowl.  Set both aside.
    4. For the filling, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then pour into a glass measuring cup with a spout.
    5. Place the coconut milk and maple syrup in a food processor and blend until smooth.
    6. Turn the food processor on, and with the motor running, slowly pour the chocolate into it and blend until uniform in color.
    7. Pour half of the filling over the crust and spread evenly, then drop some of the plain caramel by the Tbsp over it and swirl with a knife. Pour the remaining mousse filling over that, and spread evenly to the edges, then scatter the pecans over it.  Drizzle with both the plain caramel and the chocolate caramel.  Place in the freezer to firm up (about 1-2 hours).
    8. Enjoy!
    9. Tart keeps refrigerated for 1 week in a container.

     

    *Note: Nut butters may vary in texture, some are more runny.  So, if yours is a little too stiff, add a little water to the mixture to loosen it up and make it pourable.

     

     

     

  • Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries

    Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries

    I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love a good matcha latte once in a while.  I was thinking about how good it is to top off your matcha latte with coconut cream, and I decided that making a coconut matcha mousse was a good idea.  I had some fresh berries, and I thought they would be lovely in a parfait layered in glasses with the mousse. I also decided that I wanted to add a touch of mint to this mousse along with the matcha for a lovely cooling effect.  I love all of these flavors together too, they go so well as if they were meant to be.

    Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries 2

    This was super simple to make and it did not heat up the oven (which is important on a hot day, when I am trying to conserve energy and not have to turn on the AC in my house).  Not only was it simple, it was delicious.  Silky smooth, cooling, the earthy matcha and bright peppermint perfect with the fresh sweet berries.  I think this would be perfect for making ahead of time and serving at a Spring or Summer party.

    Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries 3

    Also, how lovely is this color combination?!  The pale green looks so beautiful against the red berries.  How food looks is very important to me because I do believe you do eat with your eyes and why not use all of the senses while enjoying it?!  If you wanted to make this a raw recipe (I know some of you might), you could swap out the canned coconut milk for 1 1/2 cups young coconut meat, and 1/4 cup coconut water.

    Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries

    Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries
    Serves 3

    Mousse:
    1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the refrigerator
    1/4 cup maple syrup
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1 1/2 Tbsp matcha powder
    1/4 tsp peppermint extract
    1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    Assembly:
    1 cup strawberries (quartered)
    1 cup organic raspberries

    To make the mousse, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer.  Chill for about 30-45 minutes until the consistency of frosting.  Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
    To assemble, set out 3 small glasses. Spoon (or pipe) the mousse into the bottoms of the 3 glasses, then top with berries, then more mousse, then more berries then more mousse. Top off with a few more berries. Serve or refrigerate until serving.