Chocolate Mousse Brownies

These Chocolate Mousse Brownies are one of the BEST brownies I have ever made. The brownie layer is amazing, it is soft, it is chocolaty, perfectly baked, with the right level of chewiness. The brownies are topped with a light, airy and creamy milk chocolate mousse, that balances the chocolaty brownies, that melts in your mouth!

The chocolate flavor is very subtle, almost like an introduction, so you are ready for the chocolate overload that will happen with your next bite. This is such an elegant dessert, it takes regular brownies to a whole new level.

Ingredients
For the Brownie Layer:

• 2 tablespoons Softened butter (for greasing the pan)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 ounces melted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup flour (sifted)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For Chocolate Mousse:

• 10 ounces milk chocolate (finely chopped)
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream (chilled)
• 7 grams gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions
For the Brownie Layer:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place parchment paper in a 13x9 inches pan so it covers the bottom and 2 sides (to facilitate the brownie removal). Butter the pan and set aside.
3. In a mixer fitted with the wire attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow, add the sugar and beat until combined. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the pan, it should come out with just a few crumbles attached. I find that 25-30 minutes in my oven for this recipe is perfect timing.
5. When done, remove from oven and place the pan on a cooling rack, do not remove the brownie from the pan.

For Chocolate Mousse:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over the pot of simmering water. When melted, remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, place gelatin and water, allow the gelatin to bloom, let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, in a sauce pan, bring 1/2 cup of cream to a boil. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream, stir to fully incorporate the gelatin. Remove from heat.
4. Pour about half of the cream mixture into the chocolate and whisk quickly, add the rest of the chocolate and whisk until well combined. The mixture will be very smooth and shiny.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire attachment, place the remaining 2 cups of cream and whisk until soft peaks form.
6. When the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, fold in the whipped cream manually using a spatula.
7. Pour on top of the completely cooled brownie pan and level the top layer. Place in the fridge overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
8. Before serving, remove from the fridge, lift the mousse brownies from the pan using the parchment paper edges, sprinkle with cocoa powder, run a knife thru cold water and cut into square bars.
9. Enjoy!

Calories: 612 Carbohydrates: 56 Protein: 6 Fat: 44 Saturated Fat: 27 Cholesterol: 163 Sodium: 278 Potassium: 270 Fiber: 4 Sugar: 45 Vitamin A: 1280 Vitamin C: 0.3 Calcium: 62 Iron: 2.3