Small-Batch Chocolate Mousse Tarts are an elegant chocolate dessert in miniature form. Silky bittersweet chocolate mousse filling is added to a 3-inch sweet pastry shell and topped with stabilized whipped cream. The tarts are finished with finely grated chocolate. They're simple to make and difficult to resist.
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Quick Look at the Recipe
- Makes: Six 3-inch chocolate mousse tarts
- Tart Shells: Pâte Sucrée
- Filling: Chocolate mousse made with bittersweet chocolate chips and whipped cream
- Topped with: Stabilized whipped cream and finely grated bittersweet chocolate
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make-ahead Friendly: Yes
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for the Chocolate Mousse Filling
In addition to the chocolate filling, you'll need stabilized whipped cream.
How to Make - Step-by-Step
- Tart Shells: Bake the 3-inch tart shells for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
- Ganache: Add the bittersweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup of heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring between increments, until the chocolate is melted, about a minute. Stir the mixture until the silky chocolate ganache forms. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Chocolate Mousse: Whip the remaining ½ cup of cream in a small bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about ⅓ of the whipped cream into the cooled ganache. Once combined, fold the remaining cream into the mixture. Work gently so that the mousse retains the air incorporated into the whipped cream.
- Fill the Tart Shells: Place a tart shell on a kitchen scale and tare the scale. Add 35 grams of the chocolate mousse to the shell using a 1 ¾-inch scoop. Gently spread the mousse with an offset spatula. Chill for at least an hour to allow the mousse to set.
- Stabilized Whipped Cream - What You'll Need
- Gelatin: Bloom the gelatin in water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then heat the bloomed gelatin in the microwave for 5 seconds, just long enough to dissolve it.
- Stabilized Whipped Cream: Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar to a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form. With the mixer running slowly, add the dissolved gelatin. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Finish: Using a 1M star tip, pipe a low swirl of the stabilized whipped cream onto the center of each tart. Finish by finely grating a small amount of bittersweet chocolate over each swirl. I used a Microplane for the grating.
These mini Chocolate Mousse Tarts deliver a silky bittersweet chocolate in a perfectly portioned individual dessert. Whether you make them for game day, a special occasion, or because you are craving something chocolatey, you won't be disappointed. Yum!
PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
- I like to make the unbaked Pâte Sucrée shells ahead of time and store them in my freezer. When I'm ready to use the shells, I bake them at 350°F for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they're golden brown. This makes the tarts especially convenient to assemble in stages.
- Don't rush to add the whipped cream to the chocolate ganache. If the chocolate mixture is too warm, it can deflate the whipped cream. If it becomes too cool, the chocolate can begin to firm before the mousse is thoroughly mixed. I generally cool the chocolate ganache to about 78°F, using an infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- I like to use a 1 ¾-inch scoop to portion the chocolate mousse mixture. I wish the scoop had a number on it, but my guess is that it's about a 3-tablespoon scoop.
- I weigh my ingredients to ensure precision in the final recipe. For filling the tarts, I found that 35 grams is the perfect amount, and a leveled 1 ¾-inch scoop provides that amount.
- It's best to initially chill the filled tarts uncovered until they reach refrigerator temperature. The reason is that as they continue to chill, condensation could form.
In Case You Were Wondering
Yes. However, I prefer bittersweet chocolate because it produces a deeper chocolate flavor and balances the sweetness of the Pâte Sucrée and whipped cream.
Stabilized whipped cream holds the piped shape much longer than ordinary whipped cream. This is especially useful when the tarts are made in advance, refrigerated, transported, or packaged.
Yes. A small ready-made graham cracker crust would work well, although its capacity will differ somewhat from a 3-inch Pâte Sucrée shell. A 3 ½-inch ready crust will require a bit more filling.
Absolutely. Just double all of the ingredients to make 12 mini Chocolate Mousse Tarts.
You actually have two options. (1) Fill the tart shells with the chocolate mousse mixture and refrigerate for up to three days. Pipe on the stabilized whipped cream before serving. (2) Fully assemble the tarts and refrigerate for up to three days. When refrigerating, allow the tarts to reach refrigerator temperature before covering to prevent condensation.
Other Mini Tarts
If you're a fan of making individual tarts rather than one large one, you've come to the right place.
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Small-Batch Chocolate Mousse Tarts
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Kitchen scale
- 1 ¾-inch scoop
- Small offset spatula
- 1M star tip and piping bag
- Microplane for grating the chocolate
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse Filling
- 6 fully baked 3-inch pâte sucrée tart shells, completely cooled (See Tip 1)
- ½ cup (3 ounces, 85 grams) Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips (See Tip 2)
- ¾ cup (6 ounces, 180 ml) heavy whipping cream, divided
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Small pinch of salt
Topping
- ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 2 teaspoons (0.36 ounces) cold water
- ½ cup (4 ounces, grams) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- Finely grated bittersweet chocolate (See Tip 3)
Instructions
Chocolate Mousse Filling
- Place the chocolate chips, ¼ cup heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until the chocolate chips are melted, about 1 minute. Stir until completely smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature (See Tips 4 and 5)
- Beat the remaining ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about ⅓ of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream until completely combined and no white streaks remain.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture until completely combined and no white streaks remain.
- Place a cooled tart shell on a kitchen scale and tare the scale. Add 35 grams of mousse. Gently smooth with an offset spatula. Repeat with the remaining five shells. (See Tip 6)
- Refrigerate the tartlets uncovered until thoroughly cold and the filling is set, about an hour.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Add the unflavored gelatin to a small microwave-safe bowl with cold water. Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes to bloom. Then, heat for 5 seconds in the microwave to dissolve.
- Add the cream, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar to a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly add the dissolved gelatin. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe a low swirl of stabilized whipped cream onto each tart using a 1M star tip.
- Finely grate bittersweet chocolate over the whipped cream with a Microplane.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Yield: 6 mini Chocolate Mousse Tarts.
Video
Tips/Notes
- Instead of the Pâte Sucrée tart shells, you can use store-bought 3.5-inch Ready Bake Graham Cracker Crust. However, they are slightly larger than the 3-inch tart shells, so you will need a bit more filling.
- May substitute semisweet chocolate chips for the bittersweet. However, the depth of chocolate flavor will not be as pronounced.
- I used a Microplane to finely grate the chocolate.
- At first, it may look like the chocolate mixture will not come together. Be patient and continue stirring. It will suddenly turn silky.
- I cooled the chocolate mixture to 78°F before folding in the whipped cream. You want the chocolate mixture to be cool enough so that it will not deflate the whipped cream, but not so cool that it starts to set.
- Avoid perfectly smoothing the top of the tarts. The whipped cream will hide any imperfections.
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