Chocolate Tahini Mousse

Published Feb. 12, 2020

Chocolate Tahini Mousse
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling
Rating
4(382)
Comments
Read comments

Dense and very creamy, this dark chocolate mousse has pockets of sesame tahini swirled through it, weaving a nutty flavor into the bittersweet. The candied cacao nibs add a piquant, caramelized crunch. But feel free to skip them, and simply sprinkle plain nibs on top of the mousse. Or substitute another crunchy topping, such as chopped, toasted almonds or walnuts, or sesame brittle.

Featured in: Everything You Need to Know About Chocolate

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Chocolate Mousse

    • 1cup/240 milliliters cold heavy cream
    • 1tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch of fine sea salt
    • 5ounces/140 grams extra bittersweet chocolate (around 70 percent), chopped

    For the Tahini Mousse

    • ½cup/65 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • ¼cup/60 milliliters tahini
    • cup/80 milliliters crème fraîche
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch of fine sea salt
    • cup/160 milliliters heavy cream

    For the Candied Cacao Nibs (optional)

    • ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
    • ½cup/60 grams cacao nibs
    • Flaky sea salt, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

400 calories; 30 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 90 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the cream for the chocolate mousse: Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or beaters, combine ¾ cup cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt. Whip to medium-firm peaks, then transfer whipped cream to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to finish the mousse in Step 6.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the tahini mousse: In the same mixer bowl (no need to wipe it out), combine confectioners’ sugar, tahini, crème fraîche, vanilla extract and salt. Beat everything together until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat in cream until the tahini mousse thickens. It will be thinner than whipped cream but should still mound on a spoon. Refrigerate while you finish preparing chocolate mousse.

  4. Step 4

    Place chocolate in a small bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst. Heat an inch of water in a medium pot over medium-high until simmering. (Alternatively, put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl and place it over the simmering water. Stir chocolate occasionally with a silicone spatula until it melts.)

  5. Step 5

    Remove bowl of melted chocolate from the pot. Pour in remaining ¼ cup cream, and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth.

  6. Step 6

    Using a rubber spatula, fold in ⅓ of the prepared whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whipped cream.

  7. Step 7

    Gently fold tahini mousse into chocolate mousse, leaving very visible streaks. Place mixture in serving bowls or ramekins, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

  8. Step 8

    As mousse sets, make the candied cacao nibs (if using): Heat oven to 325 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pot, bring sugar and ¼ cup/60 milliliters water to a boil, and simmer, stirring, until sugar has completely melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cacao nibs.

  9. Step 9

    Spread nibs in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until dry and crunchy, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool completely.

  10. Step 10

    Spoon nibs, if using, on top of mousse, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5
382 user ratings
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Comments

Cacao nibs, unlike chocolate chips, are unsweetened. When I tasted them out of the bag, I was dubious whether they would work in this dessert. But now that I’ve made it, the nibs and flaky salt turned out to be fabulous with the mousse - I piled on extra to get the crunch with every creamy mouthful of mousse. Top marks!

Just to answer a couple of comments: Step 4 is simply giving you two ways to melt the chocolate, stovetop or microwave. You can also melt chocolate beautifully on the lowest setting of an induction burner. I would suggest not subbing the cocoa nibs fearing you might have some left over. Try using them in creative ways. They are highly nutritious and full of antioxidants. They are great sprinkled on a salad or on your morning oatmeal or on a sweet bisque, such as butternut squash soup.

I forgot to say that I don't see why you couldn't substitute chocolate chips or even shaved chocolate from a bar. That way you aren't stuck with a pricey product that you might not use again -- or worse, eat all at one time!

Like others, we enjoyed the cacao nibs. The time in the oven was too long though and half of it tasted burned. I would recommend checking after 15 mins. However, thr quantity suggested as massive so even the least cooked 1/3 of the salvaged batch was plenty. With the mousse itself, as for some other commenters, the chocolate one seized (the part about pouring in the cream and leaving it for a minute then beating to me seemed wrong) and I needed to combine relatively thoroughly with the tahini mousse to get an edible dessert. It was still a bit lumpy but it tasted delicious. The recipe doesn't state whether to use hulled or unhulled tahini - as others had said the flavour wasn't that strong. I used unhulled. The tahini mousse on its own tasted a bit strong, but when combined with the chocolate, it was fine. I also added the rest of the cream whipped on top to take away a little bitterness.

Great dessert idea. I totally changed the ingredients, using silken tofu, half and half, Greek yogurt, what I had on hand - but regardless the tahini and chocolate together was yummy!

Made this for a Valentine’s Day treat. I put the mousse into little 1 oz chocolate cups purchased from a German market store. Delicious! I used toasted cacao nibs and did not candy them (wasn’t needed in our opinion). The sea salt flakes added another dimension with the chocolate and delicious tahini flavors.

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