Chocolate Caramel Mousse Recipes

Steps:

• For chocolate mousse, heat 2 cups cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer, about 180°. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Beat until soft peaks form., For caramel mousse, beat remaining cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add caramel topping; beat until soft peaks form., Spoon 3 tablespoons chocolate mousse into six parfait glasses; top with 3 tablespoons caramel mousse. Repeat layers. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, egg and 1 teaspoon hot water until smooth and combined.
• Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then flip out onto a cutting board to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 6 circles from the cake (save the scraps for another use); set aside.
• For the chocolate domes and mousse: Meanwhile, add the coconut oil and 3 ounces of the chocolate to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between each, until the chocolate and coconut oil are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cavities of a silicone half-sphere mold with six 3-ounce-capacity cavities and tilt the mold to swirl the chocolate around until each half-sphere is coated entirely (you can also use your finger to swirl the chocolate around). Some chocolate may spill over on top of the mold, which is fine; it will break off when you unmold the domes. Tap out any excess chocolate and freeze until the chocolate is hardened, about 5 minutes.
• Put 1/4 cup of the cream in a small bowl and stir in the gelatin. Put the butter and remaining 6 ounces chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between each, until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir the gelatin mixture into the chocolate mixture until the gelatin is dissolved. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the chocolate-gelatin mixture and continue beating until well combined. Add the remaining chocolate-gelatin mixture and continue beating until no streaks remain.
• For the filling and topping: Scoop 1/3 cup of the mousse into each chocolate cavity in the half-sphere mold. Using the back of a teaspoon, make a divot in the middle of each portion of chocolate mousse about halfway down. Pour a heaping teaspoon of caramel sauce into each divot. Top each half-sphere with a cake round, pressing down gently into the mousse (use a paper towel to wipe away any mousse that may seep out of the mold). Freeze until the mousse is set, about 1 hour.
• Gently peel the mold away from each of the half-spheres and place them cake-side down on a serving platter.
• Use a vegetable peeler to shave 1 tablespoon of chocolate curls from the chocolate. Put the remaining chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute. Drizzle the melted chocolate over each dome and sprinkle with the chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• 1. Spread the sugar evenly over the bottom of a wide saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium heat. As it begins to liquefy at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently drag the liquefied sugar toward the center. Watch carefully, as once the edges start to darken, the sugar is in danger of burning. Continue to cook, stirring very gently, until all the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize.
• 2. When the caramel is a deep amber color and starts to smoke, wait for a moment for it to smell just slightly burnt, then remove it from the heat and quickly whisk the butter, stirring until melted. Gradually whisk in the cream and stir until the little bits of caramel are completely melted. (A few can be stubborn, so be patient. You can strain the mixture if they simply refuse to budge.)
• 3. Once smooth, add the chocolate, stirring gently until it's melted and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once it's no longer warm, whisk in the egg yolks.
• 4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold one-third of the whipped whites into the chocolate mixture, sprinkling in the flaky salt. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites just until no streaks of white remain. Divide the mousse into serving glasses, or transfer it to a decorative serving bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours. While it might be tempting to serve this with whipped cream, I prefer to serve it pure, straight up with just a spoon.

Steps:

• In a 3-4 qt saucepan over low heat, stir sugar and water until it looks clear.
• Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until dark golden brown (about 10 minutes).
• Occasionally brush sugar crystals down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush.
• When mixture begins to caramelize around edges of pan, gently swirl pan to ensure even caramelization.
• Remove from heat and immediately and slowly add 3/4 cup cream (mixture will bubble up).
• Stir gently until smooth.
• Let cool 5 minutes and then stir in chocolate until well blended.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature (about 1 hour) Stir in Frangelico (if using).
• In another bowl whip 1 cup of cream to firm peaks.
• Gently fold 1/3 of cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining cream until no white streaks remain.
• Spoon mousse into dessert cups/glasses and chill for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Garnish with berries or chocolate shavings if desired.

Steps:

• Put sugar in a heavy pan, and turn heat to medium. When sugar warms and begins to liquefy, add 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until mixture bubbles, then becomes foamy, then dry again. Keep cooking until it liquefies again, stirring often and breaking up any chunks that form. When it is all dissolved and brown, remove from heat, and stir in butter a bit at a time. Standing back to avoid spattering, add 1 cup cream, then stir until blended. Let sit until cool enough to touch.
• Meanwhile beat remaining cream until it holds soft peaks; refrigerate. Melt chocolate over very low heat or in a double boiler or microwave.
• Mix melted chocolate into caramel. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to caramel, and stir to combine. Add remaining whipped cream and gently fold, just until combined. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
• Scoop mousse with a spoon dipped in a hot water. Serve alongside a piece of orange confit.

Steps:

• Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Set a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until completely melted, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit until ready to use.
• Make the salted caramel: Evenly sprinkle the sugar over the bottom of a small skillet or saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, but not stirring, until it starts to turn amber brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the butter and whisk until incorporated, 1-2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Boil for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla and flaky salt.
• Make the mousse: In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, 5-6 minutes.
• In a separate medium bowl, whip the heavy cream with the hand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 4-5 minutes.
• Add ¼ cup of the salted caramel to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Reserve remaining salted caramel for garnish. Add the whipped egg whites to the chocolate mixture and gently fold with a rubber spatula to combine. Once the eggs are mostly incorporated, add the whipped cream and fold until fully combined.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-2 hours, until set.
• To serve, divide the chocolate mousse between small bowls or glasses. Garnish with more whipped cream, a drizzle of salted caramel, and shaved chocolate, if using.

Steps:

• In a 1-qt. microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels, chocolate chips, milk and butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes; stir. Heat 30-60 seconds longer or until the caramels are almost melted; stir until smooth. Serve warm if desired over ice cream (sauce will thicken upon standing). Refrigerate leftovers.