Hershey's Kisses + Marshmallows = Chocolate Mousse

I found a recipe for chocolate mousse on the back of the Valentine's Day bag of Hershey's Kisses.  Since I had lots of leftover mini marshmallows for hot chocolate on cold (or not-so-cold) winter days, I decided to make a half batch and give it away as a late Valentine's Day gift.

My impression of the mousse is this: it's relatively easy to make, but probably not worth it.  Still, I'm posting it anyway, so give it a go and you might like it more than I did!

Hershey's Kiss Chocolate Mousse

36 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream

Additional Kisses to garnish

1. Combine marshmallows with milk in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir constantly until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth, then remove from heat.
2. Pour 1/3 cup marshmallow mixture into medium bowl and stir in almond extract.  Set aside.
3. Unwrap Kisses.  Add Kisses to remaining marshmallow mixture and return to low heat.  Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
4. Beat whipping cream in another small bowl until stiff.  Fold 1 cup whipping cream into chocolate mixture.  Fold remaining whipping cream into reserved marshmallow mixture.
5. Pour chocolate mixture into 4 glasses/bowls.  Spoon marshmallow mixture on top.  Garnish with extra Kisses if desired.  Refrigerate 3-4 hours.  Makes 4 servings.

Remember, I halved this recipe, so your mousse will look different.  Let's break it down:

Combine marshmallows with milk on the stove...

Stir until smooth.

Combine 1/3 of the marshmallow mixture with almond extract.

Unwrap Kisses...

Add to marshmallow mixture...

And combine over heat until smooth.

Remove from heat.  As that cools, beat whipping cream until stiff...

Fold one cup into the chocolate mixture.  Then fold the rest into the marshmallow mixture.

Pour chocolate mixture into desired containers, top with marshmallow mixture, and plunk an extra Kiss on top to look pretty! :)

Have a lovely day!

-JJ

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

I got that cute picture (technically it's a background, but hey, looks cool as is) from imagesforfree.org.

And here are some Basic Dessert Crêpes to go along with whatever plans you've made:

Basic Dessert Crêpes 

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon (or a few dashes) salt

1. Beat eggs and combine with milk in a small or medium mixing bowl.
2. Add flour, stir.  (Don't be worried if there are lumps!)
3. Add sugar and oil.  Stir, and add salt.
4. Blend thoroughly with hand mixer, until all the lumps are gone.
5. Heat a skillet on the stove and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Ladle in batter.  Lift and tip skillet to spread batter evenly.
7. Return to heat, and cook until edges turn brown.  Release the edges with a spatula, and lift up the side of the crêpe to see if it's brown on the underside.  If so, flip it over and cook for less than half a minute on that side.
8. Remove crêpe to a plate; repeat with remaining batter.

A quick note before I break it down as usual - don't do what I did in the photos and add the flour before the eggs.  It turns out the same, but it looks wayy worse than if you do it the way I posted.

Pour milk...

 Add flour and eggs and stir...

 Add sugar...

 Add oil and salt and stir...

 Then mix with a hand blender...

 Pam a skillet...

 Ladle batter into the skillet...

 (Sorry for that blurry picture!)  ...and tip to coat the surface of the skillet.

Brown the edges and release with a spatula...

 Lift your crêpe...

 ...and, if it's browned to your liking, flip!

Brown both sides of your crêpe nicely...

 ...and remove to a plate.

Repeat with your remaining batter and remember to coat your skillet with Pam before each crêpe!

Your crêpe appearance depends on your skillet, the heat, and your preference!  Some like it really brown, some like it dotted with little holes, some like it spotty, and some like it undercooked.  I'm easy any way, as long as they're delicious. :)

There's a spotty crêpe for ya!  And the edges will most likely be quite crispy if you let them brown thoroughly:

If you don't like that, just wait until the edges are only golden brown before releasing them with the spatula.

And then the yummy part - serving and eating!

These are called dessert crêpes for a reason - they're sweeter than savory crêpes.  I eat them for breakfast on weekends usually. :)

And of course there are many ways to eat them.  I take refrigerated leftover crêpes and dip them straight in sugar.  I also spread warm ones with Nutella (sometimes with bananas) or just eat them plain with powdered sugar.

You can also spread lots of preserves, jams, or jellies on them - whichever flavor is your favorite!

Just spread...

...roll...

...and enjoy!

Bon appétit!
-JJ