Sea Salt Chocolate Mousse with Biscoff Crumble
I’m team spoonable desserts all year round, because no, pudding is not just for children. This sea salt-topped chocolate mousse with Biscoff crumble and cranberry consommé is a texture and flavor delight.
Salty, sweet, tart, while also creamy, crunchy, and with a perfect chew (from the cranberries).
Want to know a secret? For my final, in my pastry certificate program, I tried to make a mousse “slice” with a biscoff base and a drizzle of cherry consommé. I underestimated my time allotment for setting the mousse, and let’s just say… it looked less than delicious.
This is my redemption (and improved upon adjustments)! Also, it’s annoyingly hard to find tart frozen cherries in the grocery store. But frozen cranberries are often a little easier to come by and offer an equally delicious flavor and texture balance.
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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE with BISCOFF CRUMBLE
On the regular, I’m not a fruit mixed with chocolate gal. While I do love a black forest cake, the cake and the fruit are in their own respective layers.
For this recipe, you have silky smooth mousse on top of a bed of crunchy Biscoff crumbles, brought all together by a sweet and tart cranberry consommé that wraps it all up in flavor and texture perfection.
Important note: The homemade mousse needs at least twelve hours to set before you assemble. I’d recommend making the mousse the day before you plan to serve this dish.
What is a fruit consommé? A consommé is where you simmer fruit for a long period of time to soften and release its liquid before straining out the fruit pieces. AKA, it’s another yummy way to prepare fruits for a sassy topping.
INGREDIENTS
- Frozen cranberries: Provide a tart, vibrant base for the cranberry consommé.
- Lemon juice: Brightens the consommé and balances the sweetness of the cranberries.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the consommé and helps create a smooth texture.
- Biscoff cookies: Add crunch and caramelized flavor to the crumble topping.
- Butter: Binds the Biscoff crumble and adds richness.
- Gelatin sheet: Stabilizes the chocolate mousse for a smooth, set texture.
- Heavy cream: Whipped into the mousse for lightness and creaminess.
- Whole milk: Softens the chocolate mixture and ensures a silky mousse.
- Dark or bittersweet chocolate: Provides the rich, chocolate base for the mousse.
- Sea salt (optional): Enhances the chocolate flavor and balances sweetness.
What type of gelatin do I need for mousse? You use either gelatin in both sheets or powder for this recipe. I used silver strength/170 bloom gelatin for the ideal set for this mousse.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE with BISCOFF CRUMBLE
Chocolate Mousse
Soak gelatin sheets in ice water for 20 minutes to soften. Bring milk to a boil in a small pot, remove from heat, then pour half over the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and let it sit for 30 seconds before stirring gently to melt.
Pour in the remaining milk and use a hand blender to emulsify the ganache until smooth, glossy, and lump-free. Squeeze out excess water from the gelatin sheets and whisk them into the hot ganache, then let it cool to about 90–95°F (32–35°C).
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the ganache into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated, taking care not to deflate the mousse.
Cover the mousse directly with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate for at least 12 hours to fully set.
Cranberry Consommé
Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large pot to create a gentle steaming environment. In a heatproof bowl, combine cranberries, lemon juice, and powdered sugar, then set the bowl over the boiling water and cover with a snug-fitting lid.
After 3–5 minutes, briefly remove the lid, tightly wrap the bowl in foil, and return the lid before reducing the heat to low. Simmer for about one hour, then remove from the heat and allow the consommé to cool completely before assembly.
Biscoff Crumble
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) on the convection setting. Pulse Biscoff cookies in a mini food processor until crumbly but not completely pulverized, then stir in melted butter until the mixture can hold together without being too wet.
Spread the crumble on a parchment-lined sheet and gently pat into a flat circle or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Bake for 6–7 minutes, remove from the oven, and cool completely before breaking into pieces for assembly.
Assembly
For a parfait, layer Biscoff crumble at the bottom of a dish, top with mousse, and finish with cranberry consommé. Repeat until the dish is filled, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
For plated desserts, drizzle cranberry consommé around the plate, place a small mound of Biscoff crumble in the center, and scoop a quenelle or rocher of mousse on top. Garnish with cranberries and a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt, then store airtight in the refrigerator for up to two days.
3 reasons you’ll love this chocolate mousse with biscoff crumble
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Prepare your mousse a day in advance to allow it time to set before assembling with the crumble and consommé.
- Use quality chocolate for both flavor and the smoothest melt for your mousse.
- Be careful not to overwhip your whipped cream, or it will become grainy and greasy. Make sure to just fold it in (and gently), to the chocolate ganache, so to not deflate any extra air from the mousse.
- Make sure the bowl with your cranberry consommé is tightly covered, to properly steam and release the liquid. The lid doesn’t need to be a perfect fit to the bowl, just weighted enough that it doesn’t allow steam out.
- When baking the Biscoff crumble, keep it packed together on the baking tray so that it bakes and cools as one. This is how you’ll get those chunks of crumble once broken up.
- If you’re able to find tart cherries, that makes for an easy 1:1 swap with the cranberries!
STORING YOUR HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
The cranberry consommé can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days, so you can easily make it ahead.
Your mousse should be kept sealed in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for two days. You can store the Biscoff crumble at room temperature for up to 2 weeks!
Store the mousse, consommé, and crumble separately until ready to serve to preserve texture and flavor.
MORE COLD DESSERT RECIPES
- No-Bake Pistachio Dessert
- Black Forest Tiramisu
- 3-Ingredient Lemon Posset
- Triple Chocolate Brownie Pies
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with whisk attachment
- Immersion Blender
- Whisk
- Food Thermometer
- Heat-safe Mixing Bowls
- Pot
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Digital Scale
Ingredients
- 1 gelatin sheet silver strength/170 bloom
- 224 g 1 cup heavy cream
- 156 g whole milk
- 154 g dark OR bittersweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
- Sea salt for topping, optional
- 200 g frozen cranberries*
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 25 g powdered sugar
- 60 g – biscoff crumbled
- 20 g – butter melted
Instructions
MOUSSE
- Soak the gelatin in a bowl of ice water until soft, about 20 minutes. (If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle 2 tsp [6g] gelatin over 6 tsp [30g] water in a small bowl, stir, and let sit for 20 minutes to bloom.)
- In a small pot, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Remove from heat.
- Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour half of the hot milk over the chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds. Stir gently with a spatula until the milk has melted the chocolate. Once melted, pour in the remaining milk, and stir to combine.
- Switch to a hand blender and emulsify the ganache until smooth, glossy, and free of any lumps.
- Squeeze out any excess water from your bloomed gelatin. Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the hot ganache until the gelatin has dissolved. Let cool to 90 to 95°F (32 to 35°C).
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream until it forms medium-stiff peaks.
- Using a large rubber spatula, slowly pour the ganache into the whipped cream as you constantly fold until fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix, so you don't deflate too much air in the mousse.
- Place a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the mousse, to prevent a skin from forming, and cover the bowl with foil. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours to set.
CONSOMMÉ
- Place an inch of water into a large pot and bring to a boil.
- In a glass or metal bowl, place your cranberries, lemon juice, and sugar, and stir to combine. Place your bowl on the pot, above the boiling water, and place a lid on top of the bowl that fits as snugly as possible.
- After about 3-5 minutes, remove the lid briefly, tightly cover and wrap your bowl with foil, and place the lid back on. Turn the stove down to low and cook for one hour.
- Remove from the heat and cool completely before assembly.
BISCOFF CRUMBLE
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) on the CONVECTION setting
- In a mini food processor, break up your biscoff cookies until just crumbled. They don’t need to be pulverized but they’ll probably be close.
- Melt butter and pour over biscoff crumbles. Stir to combine, make sure can hold together but not too wet.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet and pat together to make an even, flat circle (or rectangle or whatever shape works based on how you spread it), about ¼” thick
- Bake 6-7 minutes, remove and cool completely
- For assembly, just break as desired into bits.
ASSEMBLY
- Parfait: In a parfait or trifle dish, place a layer of your biscoff at the bottom, top with a layer of the set mousse, and then top with a layer of cranberry consommé. Repeat to the top of the dish. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Plating: Using a spoon, scoop a little of the cranberry liquid from the bowl and drizzle it around the edge of the plate, place an oval of biscoff crumbles in the center. With a warm (not hot) spoon, scoop a rocher or quenelle* of mousse from the bowl and place on the crumbles. Carefully top with one or two cranberries, placing a few cranberries around the edge within the drizzle as well. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Store airtight in the fridge for two days.
