Chocolate-Orange Marry-Me Mousse in Chocolate Bowls
Impress the bride- or mom-to-be with these easy to make bowls made of nothing more than chocolate! Looking for a fun game at your shower? Have the balloons ready and your guests can dip their bowls themselves. Or, save yourself some time and make these beauties ahead of time; we won't tell anyone the secret of how easy they were to make!
Preparing the Chocolate Bowls
INGREDIENTS
A good quality semi-sweet chocolate
Balloons, on the smaller side with no writing
DIRECTIONS
Melt chocolate, either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Let it cool. This step should not be overlooked or your balloons might explode all over your kitchen! Let it cool, and when you think it's cool enough, let it cool some more. It should be warm but no more than that.
Then, dip the bottom of your balloon in the chocolate, as high as you'd like your cups to be.
Next, just sit back and let them harden. This will take awhile. You can tell they're hard enough when they're no longer shiny. I let mine sit for a couple of hours, although you could speed up the process by putting them in the fridge.
When the chocolate bowls have hardened completely, take a pin and prick the balloons at the top. You don't want them to pop, you just want to slowly let the air out. As the air drains out, the balloons will shrink away from the chocolate.
Now, just fill them and serve! You can fill them with just about anything you like (they would be fantastic as part of an ice cream buffet - say for a SweetHarts Mad Hatter Tea Party Ice Cream Social Shower), but since chocolate cups are so delicious and elegant with Chocolate-Orange Mouse, let's make some of that too!
Chocolate-Orange Marry-Me Mousse
INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat cream to stiff peaks; set aside. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed until smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in cocoa powder and orange zest. Gently beat in half the whipped cream. Remove mixer and fold in remaining whipped cream by hand.
Using a plastic bag, pipe mousse into chocolate cups, garnish with orange zest and strawberries, and listen to the oooh's and aaah's from your adoring fans!
