So lately, I’ve been craving chocolate. My guess is it’s subliminal. I’m currently surrounded by email, TV and radio ads featuring chocolate for Valentine’s Day. “Buy these sweets for your sweetheart…” they croon, enticing you with images of luscious melting chocolate. It’s a never-ending barrage of “food porn,” as they say. Then I started noticing all of my food blogger friends posting their favorite chocolate recipes for Valentine’s Day… brownies and cookies and cakes. Oh my! A few days ago, when we were out for dinner at our favorite local restaurant, my stepdaughter ordered a rich and decadent chocolate mousse cake for dessert. It was the last straw. Never mind that I’m dieting and halfway to my post-holiday, post-latke goal weight. I suddenly NEEDED something rich and sweet. When the urge for chocolate strikes, it is nearly impossible to resist.
Inspired by my stepdaughter’s recent dessert choice, I had a deep, insatiable desire for chocolate mousse. Trouble is, it’s so terribly unhealthy. Most chocolate mousse is made with cream and eggs… delicious, but incredibly rich. Then, an idea came to me– why not use Greek yogurt to make a healthier version of chocolate mousse? Lately I’ve been subbing Greek yogurt in all kinds of dishes to add nutrition and lower the calories. We all know that yogurt is naturally good for us, full of protein and good bacteria for our digestive system. Greek yogurt is particularly protein-packed, and because it is strained over time the liquid content subsides and it takes on a creamy, rich consistency. I wondered if subbing Greek yogurt in chocolate mousse had occurred to anybody else… so, I did a Google search.
Turns out, my inspired idea has been tried before! I found a recipe online from the lovely and talented cookbook author Maria Speck. I liked the look of her Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse, and it provided a good base to start from. I adapted the recipe, testing it three times and making a few changes. I doubled the recipe and made it 6 servings to increase the portion size slightly. The chocolate melting method suggested in the original recipe left me with slightly grainy chocolate (may have been my fault– working with chocolate is a bit of a science), so I used a double boiler instead, which gave me better results. I added 3 tbsp of sugar because I felt it needed sweetening. I also added a touch of salt to compliment the sweetness. Finally, I much prefer Amaretto to the Grand Marnier suggested in the original recipe. That’s a personal taste preference though… I’ve never been wild about chocolate and oranges together. You can also feel free to omit the alcohol entirely; the mousse doesn’t really need it, though it does add a little extra “something.”
After a few hours of experimentation, I ended up with a splendid mousse– rich, creamy, and completely satisfying. This isn’t exactly like traditional chocolate mousse… it’s sweet, slightly tart, and totally decadent. I served it to a friend, who told me it reminded him of chocolate cheesecake. In all honesty, I like this new version better than regular chocolate mousse. The flavor is more complex. Plus, there’s the added bonus of knowing that the two main ingredients– Greek yogurt and dark chocolate– are actually good for you! Greek yogurt is a natural probiotic, and dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants. Don’t skimp and use lowfat yogurt, I tried one batch with 2% yogurt and it just isn’t the same. You really need whole milk Greek yogurt for it to taste dessert-like. Also, the thicker, the better– choose a thick Greek yogurt without a lot of excess liquid. I tried it with Trader Joes, which was too liquid. Then I tried it with Fage, which was nice and thick and much more mousse-like. You’re already saving lots of calories and cholesterol from the omission of eggs and cream… and this is a dessert, after all, so splurge a little on thick, whole milk Greek yogurt. You can thank me later.
Thanks to Maria Speck for inspiring this wonderful Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse. I’m looking forward to checking out her book, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Sounds right up my alley, no? You can follow Maria on Facebook and Twitter. Make this sweet for your sweetheart… the love of your life is sure to swoon!
Gluten Free Note: If making this gluten free, omit the liqueur or make sure that the liqueur you’re using is certified GF.
Passover Note: This recipe can be easily modified for Passover by simply omitting the liqueur. If you’re strictly kosher, Greek yogurt with a Passover hechsher may be difficult to locate, but you can easily make your own by straining plain yogurt through cheesecloth. I’ve outlined the process on my blog, click here to view.
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Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 9 ounces chopped dark chocolate, or 1 ¾ cups dark chocolate pieces (70% dark is best)
- 1 cup lowfat milk (not nonfat!)
- 3 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt - the thicker, the better (I recommend Fage)
- 1 tablespoon Amaretto or Grand Marnier (optional)
NOTES
Instructions
- Chop chocolate into small pieces with a knife or a food processor. The smaller the pieces, the more evenly the chocolate will melt.In a double boiler, whisk together the milk, sugar, and salt. Heat the milk over medium heat (not high!), whisking frequently, till hot but not boiling.
- Add the chocolate to the milk and let it sit for 1 minute in the heated milk without touching. Gently stir with a spatula till the chocolate melts into the milk. Remove from heat and continue stirring slowly till the milk and chocolate mixture is smooth and no longer grainy. If there are a few solid pieces of chocolate that refuse to melt, you can use an immersion blender to break up those pieces. Stir again with the spatula after blending to break up any air bubbles.
- Drain off any excess liquid from Greek yogurt before measuring 2 cups into a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to whip the yogurt till fluffy.
- Stir the chocolate mixture again, then pour it into the yogurt, using a spatula to scrape up any remaining chocolate. Add the optional liqueur, if desired. Use spatula to fold the chocolate into the yogurt till fully incorporated, light and creamy. This will take 2-3 minutes. Continue folding till all the white has been removed from the yogurt.
- Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins, dessert bowls or mugs. Smooth and swirl the top of each serving with a spoon. Chill for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Serve cold.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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alessandra (dinner in venice) says
this looks so delicious that even if you told me it was going to kill me, I would polish it off. that it’s low-fat and made with nutritious yogurt is just the icing on the cake (ops! an unhealthy metaphor).
Elina Stern says
I made last night for 2nd night of Passover.. My guests loved, they did say it tasted sooo rich. I made a few changes/additions, I had to add so milk chocolate as my husband found to be ‘bitter’. in addition, i had added a shot of Chambourd when mixing chocolate with yougurt. I want to try this with 2 percent greek yougurt
Tori Avey says
The bitter flavor likely came from the dark chocolate you used– very dark chocolate can tend towards bitter depending on the brand. Next time try a lighter chocolate like semi-sweet to avoid a bitter taste.
Debbie says
We had this tonight. It was delicious.
Tori Avey says
Great Debbie! It’s become my go-to dairy dessert treat here at home, we love it too!
shirvellhoney says
Looks easy enough and I love that we are using Greek yogurt..A win..Win…I am going to make this Sunday..Thank you.
sandi says
I am definately going to try this. Choclate greek yogurt. Yummy.
Lauren says
I was wondering where you found full fat Greek yogurt? My main grocery store only carries 0% and 1%. They looked at me like I was crazy, asking for a full fat Greek yogurt! I really want to try this out but worry about using a 1% Greek yogurt vs. the full fat.
Thanks!
Nana Bubbie says
Greek Goodess makes the finest full fat Greek yogurt ever. You can probably find it at Whole Foods and Plum markets.
Tiffeh says
In Greece we have good ol’ Fage Total full fat yogurt, and it is the best in the whole world! Unfortunately I’ve never seen it in the States, the only way to enjoy it in the US was for me to put it in a suitcase with a little cooler lunch box… Worth it though, so much more delicious than what I can find here.
Nona says
Greek yogurt is merely drained yogurt, so truthfully the more you drain the thicker you get it.
I Drain homemade vanilla yogurt for 24 plus hrs and u have some awesome thick creamy dessert on its own or mix in some raspberries and shaved chocolate. drizzled with the melted chocolate….
D Yanofsky says
Ty so much for all your great recipes have made many of them and all came out Delish !!!! another great one to try yummy<3
A'ppetizer says
ahh, this looks like therapy in a cup, and healthy too, love it.
nancy says
it has been so cold in l.a., it would be tempting to stop at the hot chocolate and milk point. will remember that for the next arctic blow and try the mousse.
thanks for taking care of us chocolholics.
Raji says
The recipe looks fairly easy to make n end product absolutely delicious. Very creative…we don’t eat mouse because we are vegetarians but now even that’s possible. Can I use Hershey’s cocoa powder ( since i have it at home) n increase the Amt of sugar? Very unsure of the quantity of cocoa n sugar too. Thanks..
Nona says
Cocoa alone will not thicken up the milk…..maybe adding butter and some corn starch to the cocoa before adding to the hot milk.
you know like making the icing recipe on the container.
Jenny Busch says
I would have like to print this recipe, but didn’t find a ” print”
on the page to that could. Please send the recipe to me, with my email.
Thank you
Jenny
Tori Avey says
Hi Jenny, the “Print” button is in red above the ingredients list. Use that to print.
Carol Fran says
Do you think melting the chocolate on the “melt chocolate” setting of my microwave will result in a non-grainy consistency?
Tori Avey says
Hi Carol– perhaps, but I’ve never melted chocolate in the microwave together with milk, so I can’t be sure. The microwave works great for chocolate alone, but the mixture of chocolate and milk was a bit tricky, so I hesitate to say yes without having tried it. If you try it and it works for you, please let me know!
Stan says
I found a chocolate truffle recipe that melted chocolate in 20 second intervals until fully melted. It worked fine for me.
Lederreiniger says
So easy but so delicious! This mousse looks wonderful!
Spencer says
Looks absolutely delicious! I would so love to try some. It just looks amazing!
dena says
I’ve made a similar mousse using ricotta cheese, but it always had a “grainy” texture. I bet your Greek yogurt version is much smoother.
Tori Avey says
It’s very smooth, as long as you melt the chocolate properly… smooth chocolate = smooth mousse! 🙂
Zanne says
Couldn’t wait to make this mousse. It’s chillin’ in the fridge for tonight’s dessert.
Tori Avey says
Fabulous!! Please let me know how you like it 🙂
Eve says
I’m curious – would this work with almond milk?
Tori Avey says
Hi Eve. I haven’t tried it with almond milk, but I imagine the consistency would be too thin and would take away from the rich, creamy mousse-like consistency. It will probably work, but it will taste far less dessert-like. I can’t say for sure though.
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
This mouse looks so rich and creamy,I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t miss the fat at all!
Candace Karu says
I can’t wait to share this with our Cabot Facebook friends…and make it for my family!
Natalya says
How great that I have all the ingredients at home already. I just have to get home from work and start making my breakfast for tomorrow. 🙂 Thank you so much Tori. This looks amazing. I share your passion for food and history and this website has been a dream come true. I have been reading almost every day and cooking something that you posted almost every week.
Tori Avey says
Thanks Natalya! I’m thrilled you like the site, and that you’re trying out the recipes. It’s very gratifying. 🙂