Sinfully creamy, light, airy, decadent, perfect chocolate mousse made with caramelized hazelnut praline paste for an irresistible nutty, caramel flavor profile! You can make this hazelnut praline mousse dairy free too.
The first time I had a chocolate mousse that really stuck in my memory was many moons ago, in Sri Lanka. I was still in school and there was this one cafe in the building that my dad used to work at. And sometimes when I visited my father at his office after school, I would also remember to stop by that cafe.
I would borrow some money from dad and go over there just to have their chocolate mousse served in a little coffee cup with some whipped cream on top. I’ve been serving chocolate mousse in little cups like that ever since, because that memory is strong and the light, airy, intense taste of chocolate mousse always takes me down memory lane back to those days.
I’ve shared several mousse recipes on the blog before. Like this classic chocolate mousse, rosemary French chocolate mousse, butterscotch mousse, and even this healthy high protein silken tofu chocolate mousse!
But there’s something extra irresistible about this caramelized hazelnut praline chocolate mousse! A light, airy chocolate mousse paired with a caramelized hazelnut praline paste? Mamma mia!
Hazelnut praline paste
Several weeks ago I shared with you all this delicious Paris Brest with whipped chocolate filling that I made for the Daring Bakers challenge. A classic Paris-Brest is traditionally made with a praline mousseline cream (mousseline cream + praline paste). However I finished the praline before I could use it in the recipe. Really. It was that good to eat just on its own!
Have you ever had hazelnut praline paste on toast? I’ve shared my praline paste recipe elsewhere on the blog, which I often make with almonds, but you can just as easily make it with hazelnuts too.
It’s like this heavenly Nutella paste (without the chocolate) that you couldn’t possibly stop eating just on its own. Do you see that praline paste in the picture below? That picture doesn’t do it any justice! If you taste it, I guarantee you will not stop till you finish it. Unless you have the will power of a higher being. Maybe not even then.
The flavor and the texture of that praline paste really fascinated me. I thought it would be an amazing base to work with for a chocolate mousse.
The caramel notes with hazelnut flavor infused into the chocolate mousse seemed like a great idea and I was absolutely right! This is one sublime chocolate mousse.
You can make this with almonds as well. I haven’t tried it with other types of nuts, but you are more than welcome to.
What I love about this hazelnut praline chocolate mousse
- Fantastic recipe for anyone who wants to try a light, airy, decadent chocolate mousse with different but incredibly delicious flavors.
- Can easily be made dairy-free if you make it with coconut cream and a dairy-free dark chocolate (see the ingredients list). You probably won’t notice the coconut flavor either (depends on the coconut cream you use of course), because of the chocolate and praline flavors.
- Even though the crunch of the praline is lost here, the addition of the caramelized praline gives it an amazingly nutty (and of course caramel) flavor.
Recipe
Caramelized Hazelnut Praline Chocolate Mousse
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Praline Paste
- 70 g hazelnuts toasted and skinned
- 100 g white sugar ½ cup.
- 2 tbsp white sugar
Chocolate Mousse
- 200 g bittersweet chocolate 7 oz, finely chopped. Use a dairy-free dark chocolate, for a dairy free version.
- 4 large eggs separated, at room temperature (egg whites in a clean dry bowl)
- 2 tbsp white sugar for the meringue
- 80 mL heavy cream (35% fat) ⅓ cup. Or use coconut cream for a dairy-free option
- ½ tsp sea salt add upto 1 tsp if you'd like this to be a salted chocolate mousse – It tastes FANTASTIC!
Instructions:
Praline Paste
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silpat. Leave the pan in a heat resistant surface as the hot sugar will be poured onto this pan.
- In a large pan, sprinkle the sugar evenly in a thin layer on the bottom of a stainless steel skillet.100 g white sugar
- Heat the pan on low to medium heat until the sugar around the edges starts to melt. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to move the sugar around (the sugar will start to clump and that is okay). The sugar will start to caramelize, and it's important to keep it moving to evenly melt and caramelize the sugar.
- When the sugar has mostly melted, add the roasted hazelnuts and the remaining sugar and keep stirring the caramel to make sure the sugar caramelizes evenly, while also coating the hazelnuts.70 g hazelnuts, 2 tbsp white sugar
- Continue to cook while stirring the sugar/nuts until the sugar turns a dark amber colour (that is just before the caramel burns – so DO NOT move away from the stove because this can happen quickly, and PLEASE be careful as the sugar is very very hot)
- Remove from heat immediately and pour the sugar and nuts onto the lined sheet pan. When the sugar has cooled down and the nuts have hardened, break the caramel into smaller pieces so that they can be chopped in the food processor.
- In the food processor, process the praline mix in pulses first until you crush the nuts. Then process the sugar/nuts on high until you get a paste (you may have to stop and scrape the bowl a couple of times). You can check my praline paste recipe to look at the process of making praline paste.
Chocolate Mousse
- In a heat proof bowl place the praline paste, salt and egg yolks and mix them well with a whisk or hand mixer for a few minutes, until well combined.4 large eggs, ½ tsp sea salt
- Add the chopped chocolate and melt the chocolate, egg yolk and praline paste together over a saucepan of simmering water, until the chocolate is melted and is smooth. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and allow it to cool to room temperature.200 g bittersweet chocolate
- With a whisk, whisk the chilled heavy cream till thickened. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture and continue to whisk until the chocolate mix is thick and a little pale in color.80 mL heavy cream (35% fat)
- In a clean metal bowl (free of any residue), place the egg whites and the white sugar. To make the egg white food-safe, whisk the egg whites over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk on high until you form stiff peaks (with a clean, dry beater).4 large eggs, 2 tbsp white sugar
- Fold in ¼ of the egg white into the chocolate mix. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold it in until just combined.
- Pour into individual serving glasses and chill for a few hours until set. Serve as is, or with a dollop of fresh cream or creme fraiche.
Recipe Notes
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
I was forced to eat a spoonful of this beautiful mousse so I could show you how airy it was inside! Yes, it was a sacrifice, but one I was willing to make for the sake of knowledge and posterity! Check out the picture below to see what I mean 🙂
Could you help me settle a debate by the way? Mr K is a chocolate mousse purist and he refuses to add anything on top of it and prefers it just the way it is. Whereas I like to have it with a little whipped cream or creme fraiche! Which do you think is better? How do you like yours? With extra topping? or not?
However you decide to have it, you will love this one!
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