Chocolate Mousse Coconut Cups

Light little cups of fluffy chocolate goodness, that’s what these are.

My Chocolate Mousse Coconut Cups are the perfect bite: creamy, light chocolate mousse cradled by golden toasted coconut nests and sprinkled with crunchy macadamia nuts. The variety of textures compliment one another, as do the flavors; the mousse is chocolatey and sweet but the coconut is savory and nutty in comparison. Even Mother Cookie, who has a vendetta against all-things sweet, loved these bite-sized treats because they weren’t overly sweet or rich. They’re light and perfectly portioned, just enough to satisfy your sweet cravings without sending you overboard into a sugar rush sea.

Don’t let those pretty swirls of chocolate mousse fool you; these Chocolate Mousse Coconut Cups are surprisingly simple to make. In fact, you can do so in less than 30 minutes. They look and taste quite fancy, so nobody will know that you only need the culinary skills of a kid making playdough food to put them together. And since you can hold these miniature desserts in the palm of your hand, they’re great for parties and get-togethers. Everyone will rave, and you won’t break a sweat.

Take a break from the typical heavy, rich desserts that weigh you down like a brick and opt for these light and refreshing cuties instead. Chocolate and coconut are a can’t-go-wrong combo, and these cups showcase the best of both. You only need a couple of ingredients and half an hour to whip some up. Can you really say no to such a sweet deal?

Look, I’m sorry. I’ll stop talking about how easy these are to make so as not to give away your secret when you serve these to impress your dinner guests. Forget I said anything!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Add a chocolate drizzle to make these extra chocolatey.
2. Don’t like macadamia nuts? Any nut will be delicious.
3. These 2-ingredient coconut cup crusts are super versatile. You can even make it into a full-sized pie crust.
4. Speaking of which, you could turn this whole recipe into a full-sized pie.
5. If you’ve never used mascarpone cheese before, it’s kind of like cream cheese, but a much better version and less tangy. You can find it in the specialty cheese section.

Chocolate Mousse Coconut Cups
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Crust

• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

1. Make the crusts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a a medium bowl, combine the coconut and butter. Press about a tablespoon into each ungreased mini muffin cup so it shapes to the cups. Bake 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely then use a fork to gently remove from tins.
2. Make the mousse: Use a hand mixer to beat the mascarpone for 30 seconds, just to soften it up more. Add the cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Stir well with a spatula to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
3. Transfer mousse to a large ziplock bag, working it down to the bottom of one corner of the bag. Snip off the corner and twist off the top, thus creating a pastry bag (if you have your own pastry bags, feel free to use them instead). Pipe the mousse into the cooled coconut cups. You can also use a spoon if you don’t feel like piping, but piping is quicker. Sprinkle each cup with mousse. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.