Chocolate Mousse Brownie Bites

Chocolate Mousse Brownie Bites ~ A soft and chewy brownie bite piled with a light chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse Brownie Bites

It started with a simple request for a basic brownie, to quote the requestor, “Can you make straightforward brownie-no candy bar chopped and piled on top, no crushed cookies tucked in the center, no cream cheese top, just a plain brownie?”

As evident by the picture, I’m sure we can all agree I’m not a very good listener-kind of. I did in fact make the brownies as requested for the family and then choc-la-fied them some more with mousse to what you see in the picture.

I usually like my brownie warmed and with a scoop of ice cream. This time around I wanted to try something lighter like a mousse and . . .I may never go back. Okay, a wee-bit of an exaggeration, since I love ice cream.

But what I did like about the mousse was it provided a textural break with its lightness while smoothing out the richness of the chocolate for a more even bite.

If you skip the mousse on this recipe, be sure to bookmark it for future use because it is damn good mousse!

A few notes:

• You can make this recipe in an 8×8 pan and cut them accordingly or you can minify them into chocolate brownie bites. I like making brownie bites for portion control and because I like having a chewy edge with every serving.
• To make brownie bites like the picture, use mini muffin pans and coat it with nonstick spray, fill each hole 1/3 of the way up and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Regular muffin pans will also work. Again coat with nonstick spray then fill each hole 1/3 of the way up and bake for 16-18 minutes.
• The brownies can be stored airtight for 2-3 days.

Chocolate Mousse Brownie Bites

{Printer Version}

Yields one 8×8 pan or 40  brownie bites

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Ingredients:

Brownie:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ salt
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour

Chocolate Mousse:
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of coarse salt
1 cup heavy
Instructions:

Brownie:

1. Place butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over simmering water. Stir frequently until mixture is melted.
2. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each is incorporated before adding the next.
3. Stir in flour and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is glossy about 1 minute.
4. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the brownie starts to pull away from  the  sides of pan.
5.  While brownies are baking prepare ice bath. Fill a pan with ices cubes and water ¾ inch deep (Yes, this really does help the brownie.)
6. When the brownies are ready remove the pan from the oven and place in the water bath, taking care not to splash ice water unto the brownie.
Adapted from Alice Medrich

Chocolate Mousse:

1. Place chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is melted.
2. Place second bowl with egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk over simmering water. Do not place bowl directly on simmering water. Whisk until warm about 2minutes. Transfer mixture to stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
3. Beat egg yolk mixture until thick and pale yellow and forms a ribbon when whisk is lifted, about 3 minutes.
4. Add chocolate to egg yolk mixture and mix by hand until incorporated. Add egg whites and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl beat cream until medium peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture until no white streaks are visible.
6. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Adapted from John Baracelli