Easy Chocolate Mousse Cups

These quick an easy no bake chocolate mousse cups are the perfect sweet for any occasion whether you’re curbing a chocolate craving, throwing a fun dinner party, or making a special treat for Valentine’s Day. This homemade chocolate mousse cup recipe will impress even the pickiest chocolate dessert lovers and with it taking less than 20 minutes to make, it’s a great option for your next event!

One of my absolute favorite treats is Ferrero Roche, so I thought it would be fun to make a dessert that reminded me of the flavor combination you get in those treats – chocolate and hazelnut.

These easy chocolate cups do just that in the form of a no bake dessert that will be one of your new favorite things!

This easy chocolate mousse recipe is worth a try for dinner parties, bridal showers, birthday parties, or everyday family meals. I mean, any time you can make a dessert to feed a crowd in less than half an hour is a win. Plus, bonus points for having chocolate and Nutella.

These cups are made with heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, chocolate, and Nutella making them light and airy chocolate mousse without being too decadent. It’s the perfect dessert to end any celebration. 

The simple flavors also work great alongside other desserts like lemon cupcakes, Reese’s cheesecake dip, and strawberry shortcake, making them an easy addition to any dessert bar or to bring along to your next potluck. 

This classic chocolate mousse is a no-brainer for anyone looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, to impress friends, or someone putting together a tasty party. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients – everything you need you can easily find at the grocery store or already have on hand at your home. 
• Different ways to serve – serve the final product as pre-portioned mini chocolate mousse cups or in a large bowl for people to serve themselves. You can even get disposable individual serving dishes that are easy to grab and go, making them perfect for family picnics or potluck meals. 
• Quick and easy – planning any event is time-consuming enough, no need to add more to the plate. Complete this dessert in less than thirty minutes then it is ready in the fridge whenever you need it. 

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Dark chocolate bar – you can change this out for a milk or semi-sweet bar. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you would like, but I suggest using a double boiler to melt instead of a microwave. Also, if you are looking for a more decadent dessert, consider using high-quality chocolate. 
• Vanilla extract – this can be substituted with other extracts like almond, caramel, or hazelnut. It can also be omitted, but I don’t suggest it because it adds an important depth to the flavor. 
• Ferrero Rocher – these can be omitted entirely or substituted for pieces of fruit, chocolate shavings, or homemade whipped cream instead. They’re just used for garnish in this particular recipe.
• Nutella – you can substitute this for your favorite nut butter. I suggest trying peanut butter or cookie butter if Nutella isn’t your thing.

How to make chocolate mousse cups

After binge watching ten seasons of The Great British Baking Show, making mousse was starting to feel really daunting! What if it didn’t set up in time or it wasn’t smooth enough? 

I wanted to create a recipe that would make it easy for everyone to get a handshake, even if it’s from your kids and not Paul Hollywood. This easy-to-follow recipe has step-by-step instructions to help you the whole way through, as well as pictures, in case you’re a visual baker like me. 

​1 – Make The Mousse

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat room temperature cream cheese on medium-high speed for about two minutes or until it is light and fluffy.

You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, but you will have to clean the bowl before whipping the heavy cream. 

Once the cream cheese is light and fluffy, add in Nutella and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated and there are no more white streaks. Set aside to use later. 

In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate then microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted.

If using chocolate chips, I suggest using the double broiler method to melt chocolate chips here so the chips don’t overheat.  Once fully melted, set aside to allow the chocolate cool slightly while you make whipping cream. 

Next, whip the whipped cream in the stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks have formed. Be careful not to over-whip the cream.

A great way to tell if the peaks are done is to remove a beater and flip it upside down. If the cream holds its shape with a slight curl at the top it is done. If it stands upright without the top curling, it is over-mixed. If it doesn’t hold its shape, it’s under-mixed – keep mixing!

Gently fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream. Add powdered sugar to the mixture and whip it in a stand mixer. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 – 4 minutes. Stiff peaks will hold their shape when the beater is flipped over with no curl at the top. 

Once stiff peaks have formed, add the chocolate mixture to the cream cheese Nutella mixture. Gently fold the ingredients together using a rubber spatula. Fold until everything is fully incorporated being careful to not deflate the whipped cream by over-mixing. 

2 – Chill the Mousse

Put the chocolate mousse mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag and cut off the corner to pipe it out. Pipe the mousse into individual serving dishes or small cups (an aluminum muffin tin works great). 

To evenly distribute the mousse, fill each cup about 1/2 of the way to start, then add more if there’s extra depending on how many chocolate mousse cups you are making.

This is a pretty rich dessert, so I recommend using smaller serving glasses compared to larger ones. A little bit of the chocolate mousse goes a long way.

Allow the mousse to chill covered in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving to solidify the mousse texture. 

Once the chocolate mousse is chilled, add extra whipped cream, fresh berries, and a Ferrero Rocher chocolate for the topping. Or something like a drizzle of this Nutella sauce could be great!

3 – Serve

Serve chocolate dessert cups chilled and freshly topped at your next gathering! This is a great way to serve a decadent chocolate dessert during those hot summer months. 

Expert Tips And Storage Information

If you over whip the cream you can add in a tablespoon of heavy cream and hand whisk it in to soften the mixture.

For a less decadent dessert, use milk chocolate or leave out the powdered sugar to make it less sweet.

Chill the heavy cream before you whip it into the whipped cream. Cold cream whips up faster and holds it shape better than cream at room temperature. It can also help to chill the bowl and beaters you’ll be using as well.

Store mousse in the fridge either covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to five days. After that, the heavy cream will start to expire and the texture will get too soft.

Store in the freezer in freezer safe containers for up to three months. Place in the fridge the night before to unthaw before serving.

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Chocolate Desserts

If you like chocolate, you have to try these other decadent chocolate desserts!

• Best chocolate truffle recipe – these easy chocolate truffles are decadent, delicious, and dangerously easy to make!
• Chocolate cake shake – a milkshake gets taken to the next level with the addition of a slice of chocolate cake!
• Hot chocolate dip – all the flavors of a rich and creamy hot chocolate mixed into a dessert dip!
• Brownie balls – two ingredient brownie bites are what everyone needs when they’re craving chocolate!
• Dirt cookies – these fun chocolate dirt cookies are like an Oreo dirt cake in cookie form!