Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cups

I promised several people I would post this recipe on my blog so here it is. The concept was adapted from Sweet Tooth’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cup recipe, however the recipe for the peanut butter mousse was adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, while the chocolate cup shell was from researching how to substitute real chocolate for chocolate melts (which I didn’t have). I made it simpler so I could use ingredients I already had.

This is my first attempt so please be kind! I need to practice my piping skillz yo! =P

Instead of buying chocolate melts I just used dark chocolate which is supposedly healthier than chocolate melts (see why below). I just added a shortening like Olive Oil to make it less thick and easier to paint on.

Chocolate Melts
Also called candy coating. They are not really chocolate because they do not contain cocoa butter. They consist primarily of vegetable oil and are flavored with cocoa powder. They can be melted and poured into candy molds to make personalized treats. They can also be melted and used as a coating for homemade candies, pretzels and fruit.

For the chocolate cups:

• Dark chocolate, chopped into smaller pieces
• Start with 1/2 tsp Olive oil per cup of chocolate and add a little more if the chocolate is not thin enough to dip. I think the rule of thumb is 1 tbsp/pound of chocolate
• Mini-silcone cupcake moulds

1. Placed chopped chocolate in a bowl
2. Heat in microwave for 1 minute on medium settings
3. Remove and mix with spoon
4. Return to the microwave and heat on 15 sec intervals and mix in between heating until fully melted and smooth.
5. Add olive oil to thin it down
6. Using a paintbrush, apply a thick coat of chocolate to the inside of the cupcake moulds and set aside on a cookie tray.
7. Place tray in the freezer to harden, about 15 minutes. 
8. Once the first coat is dry, repeat the painting process. (Prepare more melted chocolate as needed)
9. You want to make sure that the chocolate is not translucent in any areas. Return cups to freezer for another 15 minutes
10. When the chocolate is set, remove only 2 cups at a time from the freezer to peel off the moulds carefully so the others don’t soften as you’re working.
11. This is more tricky when using paper liners, but easy with silicone moulds. Peel a side with your nail, then without removing that nail from the separated portion, slide your nail sideways carefully and the mould and chocolate should separate easily. Be careful not to snap back the mould as this might break the choco shell.
12. Make extra choco cups because you are sure to encounter some breakage
13. If you are doing this the night before then cling wrap carefully (make sure there are no holes) and refrigerate.
    

* Do this the night before a party so the next day all you have to do is pipe in the mousse and garnish with chocolate

For Peanut Butter Mousse:

• 1/3 
cup whipping cream
• 1/2 
of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2/3
 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)
• 2
 tablespoons milk
• 1/2
 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 
teaspoon vanilla

1. In a chilled KitchenAid bowl beat whipping cream with chilled beaters on high speed until soft peaks form; set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and milk with an electric mixer until combined.
3. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
4. Gently fold in beaten whipped cream, half at a time, until mixture is smooth. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 24 hours. *I placed it in a zip lock without any excess air and placed it in the ref . It’s important not to have any air inside
5. The next day I snipped off a small portion of the tip of the ziplock’s bottom  and piped it into the chocolate cups