Impress your sweetie with this easy chocolate mousse

Tasty, fun, and a little bit cheesy if you want to go over-the-top on presentation, this easy chocolate “mousse” is a quick three-ingredient dessert to impress your sweetie on Valentine’s Day. Or you can enjoy it on your own anytime — it really is that simple.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sifted cocoa powder, or 1/3 cup for dark chocolate flavor
1/2 cup powdered sugar or 1/4 cup for dark chocolate flavor
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (optional)
Fruit for garnish

Using a hand or stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment, begin whipping the cream in a chilled bowl until frothy and slightly thickened. Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and carefully mix until soft peaks form. Add the optional extract and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Spoon the mousse into a plastic bag or piping bag with a tip and pipe into your preferred small bowl or dessert glass for extra panache. Garnish with fruit and serve immediately.

If you plan to serve later or you’re serving at a warmer temperature, you can stabilize the mousse with gelatin and cold water. Add one packet of unflavored gelatin to 1/4 cup cold water and allow it to bloom for two minutes, then melt in microwave for 15 seconds or until liquid (heating times will vary). Let the gelatin cool until it’s just warm but still pourable. Prepare the mousse as directed, but slowly pour the gelatin into the still-running mixer once the mousse has reached medium peaks. After the gelatin has been added, continue whipping to stiff peaks. Be careful with temperature — too-cool gelatin will form clumps, and too-warm gelatin will deflate the mousse. Once the mixture has reached stiff peaks, serve as normal.