Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse will satisfy your chocolate cravings, but is healthier than many other desserts, plus it’s super easy to make!
Today, I’m bringing you another healthier dessert recipe made with cottage cheese. This time, it’s Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse. It’s rich and full of dark chocolate flavor, with more protein and less fat than traditional chocolate mousse.
When I was researching existing recipes for a cottage cheese chocolate mousse, I found that the vast majority of them were made with cocoa powder, and most were sweetened with maple syrup.
I can definitely see the appeal of using cocoa powder for a recipe like this. It can be added straight to the recipe with no additional steps like chopping or melting. However, I didn’t feel that the texture that cocoa powder would provide would be what I was looking for.
And I definitely didn’t want to use maple syrup. When I use maple syrup, I want to taste the maple syrup, and when I use chocolate, I want it to taste like chocolate. I don’t want a combination of the two. So I opted to use a neutral sweetener – good old reliable granulated sugar.
While my first version wasn’t quite sweet enough, adding a whole extra tablespoon of sugar made it too sweet. So I cut back ½ Tablespoon and got to the Goldilocks “just right” level of sweetness.
If you have a bit of a sweet tooth and like chocolate, but want a dessert that’s just a little less of a splurge, give this Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse a try.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse
To make this healthier Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse, start by chopping and melting the chocolate. I use the microwave for ease, but you could also use a double-boiler (or glass or stainless steel bowl set over a small pot of simmering water).
It should only take about 1-1½ minutes at high, stirring every 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, set it aside to cool slightly.
While the chocolate is cooling, puree the remaining ingredients. I tried this using both a food processor and a blender. While I didn’t notice any significant textural differences in the mousse between the two appliances, I had an easier time scraping the mousse from my food processor. Feel free to use whichever appliance you prefer. You might even be able to get away with using an immersion blender, but I didn’t test this.
Process or blend the cottage cheese, sugar, milk (or water), vanilla, and instant coffee together until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed. With the food processor running, drizzle in the melted chocolate and continue to process until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
Divide the mousse between 4 small ramekins, dessert dishes, small bowls, or cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least an hour. Garnish the mousse with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh berries or fruit, mint leaves, and/or shaved or grated dark chocolate. Serve cold.
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse Ingredients
The ingredient list to make this healthier cottage cheese mousse is short, and if you’re a baker, you probably already have everything you need.
- Chopped dark chocolate – I recommend using a dark chocolate bar, or other chocolate that is meant for melting, vs. chocolate chips. Chocolate chips don’t melt as smoothly, and won’t incorporate into the cottage cheese mixture as easily.
- Full-fat or 2% cottage cheese – Note that cottage cheese can vary quite a lot brand-by-brand. I highly recommend looking for a cottage cheese that’s not too salty for this (and any other dessert/baking recipe). If you’re not familiar with how a particular brand of cottage cheese tastes, look at the Nutrition Facts label and choose one that is lower in sodium than others.
- Granulated sugar – I opted to use granulated sugar vs. other sweeteners (eg, maple syrup) for a more neutral-flavored sweetness.
- Milk or water – This is necessary for easier blending and to get the mousse to the right texture. I used milk, but water works in a pinch, too.
- Vanilla extract – I highly recommend adding some vanilla for depth of flavor.
- Instant coffee granules – I like to add a bit of instant coffee granules to my chocolate-based desserts because a little coffee helps to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. There isn’t enough in this recipe to give a noticeable coffee flavor, but feel free to skip it if you don’t have any.
- Whipped cream – whipped cream is completely optional and used as a garnish when serving your mousse.
- Fresh berries – Like raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries, or really any other fruit of your choice, can be added as a garnish when serving. Consider fresh mint leaves, too.
- Shaved chocolate or chocolate curls – Simply use a microplane or vegetable peeler to shave or peel dark chocolate over your mousse before serving. Again, this is optional.
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Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one-quarter of the recipe. If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition information uses full-fat cottage cheese in the calculations and does not include any garnishes or additional toppings.
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add 3½ ounces (100 g) chopped dark chocolate to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until fully melted (this will likely take a total of 1-1½ minutes). Set the chocolate aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, add 1½ cups (315 g) full-fat or 2% cottage cheese, 2½ Tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons (30 g) milk, 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules to the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- While the food processor is running, drizzle in all of the chocolate and continue to process until the chocolate is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides as well as the bottom of the food processor to make sure no un-blended chocolate remains, and process one more time.
- Divide the mousse evenly between 4 small bowls, ramekins, or dessert cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled, about an hour. Serve cold with desired garnishes.
Nutrition
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