Chocolate Mousse and Coconut Cookies

Rich and delectably creamy chocolate mousse for coconut shortbread dippers!

  You must remember the first time you tasted chocolate mousse, your eyes widening as the exquisite richness dawned on your senses.  The velvet, creamy texture, and the intensity of the rich chocolate certainly caught my attention. And was it mouse or moose and if it was moose, did it have antlers?  I am just one of many who has misspelled it on a menu!

 For most of us, the taste was love at first bite.  (There are actually those that don't care for chocolate, imagine!)  To those "unfortunate of pallet", we will do what we can to win you over - this may be one of those desserts that will change your mind about chocolate!

      Leave it to the French to create this concoction of cream, eggs, sugar and chocolate (sometimes butter) that makes any dessert worth breaking a diet for, worth saving a bit of room for, worth the expense of the ingredients to make it.

      Inspired by the numberless appetizers, that consist of dips and spreads and something to be dipped into them, it didn't seem much of a jump to a dessert of the same fashion.  The following was the result. 

      And if you still can't convince those chocolate-haters among us, you could branch off into other mousse choices like caramel mousse, lemon mousse, white chocolate mousse, pumpkin mousse with cookies that will complement your flavors (a shortbread cookie is universally appropriate).  Then everyone can enjoy dessert. Now for those that don't care for desserts, it might have to be back to the savory appetizer dips and dippers for them!

Thick Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup butter softened

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

7 ounces of 70% good-quality chocolate or 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and 1 oz. unsweetened

2/3 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt                                                          

     -Melt chocolate in small saucepan.  Stir in butter until melted.  Let cool 10 minutes.

     -Beat chocolate mixture and egg yolks in small bowl on high speed for 5 minutes.  Refrigerate, covered for 5-6 minutes.

    -In separate mixing bowl, beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form.  Beat in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until whites are stiff and glossy.

    -Fold egg white mixture carefully into chocolate mixture.  Allow mixture to set for 10 minutes in refrigerator.

    -Whip cream until soft peaks form and add vanilla. (you can use the same bowl as used for the egg whites - no need to rinse it out for the cream.)  Fold cream gently into chocolate mixture until mostly incorporated - a few streaks of cream is fine.  (For the mound-tain purposely leave streaks of white to create interest.)

COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

3/4 cup butter softened  

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)                                                  

     -Beat butter at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating well.  Stir in vanilla.

     -Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to butter mixture, mixing well.  Stir in coconut and nuts, if using.  If mixture is sticky, chill for about 30 minutes.

     -Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Press each cookie slightly with the bottom of a glass, dipped in flour to flatten dough a bit.

     -Bake cookies in 350 degree oven until they just begin to turn golden around the edges, 10 - 12 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and let cool.\

TO ASSEMBLE MOUND-TAIN:

     -Neatly scoop and pile chocolate mousse onto center of a round serving platter.  (Mousse will make a more attractive mound if immediately placed on the platter before chilling.)  Cover mound with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.

     -Place cookies around the edge of the mound and one on top so guests understand the cookies are to be dipped into the mousse.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut, a bit of powdered sugar and decorate with fresh flowers for a springy touch of color.

     -Serves 6-8

Gently fold cream into mousse, leaving a few streaks of white.

Coconut shortbread cookies

Mound mousse on center of serving tray, place cookies around and garnish with powdered sugar and coconut.

Dip cookies into chocolate mousse mound