Chocolate Mousse Brownies are homemade brownies baked and topped with creamy chocolate mousse and chocolate curls. For another decadent brownie dessert, try my Brownie Pudding Dessert.
Chocolate Mousse Brownies
I love a spoonful (or spoonfuls) of chocolate mousse. The creamy dessert satisfies my sweet tooth every time. I also love brownies. And, with this chocolate mousse brownies treat, you get the best of both worlds…homemade brownies topped with creamy, two-ingredient chocolate mousse. I even added some chocolate curls for more chocolate!
This recipe is very similar to my French Silk Brownies. It is just as rich and creamy, however, French Silk Mousse is much lighter. This mousse has no eggs and is only 2 ingredients! A perfect craving buster.
Chocolate Mousse Brownies Ingredients
The brownie layer is made from basic ingredients for perfectly fudgy brownies that are the perfect base to hold the chocolate mousse.
Eggs: Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
Butter: For a fudgier brownie, melt the butter first and let it cool a bit before mixing with the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
Cocoa: Choose high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe.
Heavy Cream: The heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream, is about 36% fat and used in making the mousse.
Chocolate: For the mousse, I prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but with any chocolate you choose, make sure it is high-quality chocolate for the best results. The chocolate you choose determines the flavor of the mousse.
How to Make Brownies
The brownies need to be made first for the chocolate mousse brownies since they will have to cool before adding the mousse. This brownie recipe is the one I used for my Brownie Peanut Butter Dessert (which you will want to try after making this recipe). To get started, preheat the oven and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the room temperature eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Then, add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir until the ingredients are just combined. Finally, pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
The brownies are done baking when an inserted toothpick comes out with a few dry crumbs, but no wet batter. Set them aside to cool as you make the chocolate mousse.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse
The first step in making chocolate mousse is to melt the chocolate pieces. To melt the chocolate, heat up 1/2 cup of the cream in the microwave. I heated it up for about 50 seconds, but you may need to heat it up for a bit longer, depending on the power of your microwave. Add the chocolate to the warm cream and stir until the chocolate is melted. This can take up to two minutes, so be patient. Set that aside while you beat the remaining cream.
In a medium bowl, pour in the remaining cup of cold cream. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. When a recipe calls for the cream to form ‘soft peaks’, it just means that the peaks barely hold their shape. The peaks flop over immediately when the beaters are lifted.
Continue beating the rest of the cream until you have ‘stiff peaks’. Stiff peaks are sharp peaks that can stand on their own even after the beater has been removed. (If a recipe ever asks for ‘medium peaks’, that means that the peaks will stand pretty much on their own, but with a slight curl at the top.)
Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped cream to combine. Pour the mousse over the cooled brownies and spread it out into an even layer. Refrigerate the chocolate mousse brownies for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, before serving.
Looking for More Brownie Recipes?
Ingredients
BROWNIE LAYER
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (192g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (43g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
MOUSSE LAYER
- 1½ cups heavy cream, cold and divided
- 1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet (or your preference)
- chocolate curls, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
BROWNIE LAYER
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In a large bowl add eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
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Add in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
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Pour brownie batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick is removed mostly clean. (A few crumbs are good!)
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Set aside to cool to room temperature.
MOUSSE
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In a microwave-safe bowl, heat ½ cup of the heavy cream for 50 seconds (depending on microwave strength).
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Add the chocolate chips to the cream and stir until the chocolate has melted. This will take 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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Pour the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream into a medium bowl. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat until soft peaks form. Continue whipping the cream until stiff peaks form.
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Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped cream until combined.
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Pour the mousse over the cooled brownies and spread it into an even layer. Garnish with chocolate curls (optional).
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Refrigerate 2 hours (up to overnight) before serving.