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Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse is a creamy, decadent, rich dessert. It absolutely hits the spot after dinner.
Make it ahead and keep in the refrigerator until ready to devour!
Step by step photos and instructions below!
Need a really easy, really tasty and impressive dessert for a special occasion (a Tuesday night totally counts)?
I’m all about booze in food, and especially my desserts. This is a lovely after dinner treat that will delight dinner guests, or… just you if you decide not to share!
If you’re not into booze in your food, leave out the Bailey’s, it will just be chocolate mousse, and you really can’t be mad at that!
This is SUPER easy (yay!) and comes together very quickly. Do yourself a favor, and chill the bowl and beaters before you start!
If you’re into mousse, and why wouldn’t you be? Try this Coffee Mousse that is ALSO to die for.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy. It’s literally something to whip together, then set up in the fridge.
- Make ahead. This is an excellent choice to make for a dinner party because it’s all done ahead. All you have to do after dinner is grab these, add some whipped cream and shave/grate some chocolate over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s essentially flavored whipped cream that is stabilized and made mousse-like with the addition of gelatin.
Mousse is fluffy and creamy and made from cream and sugar whereas pudding is a cooked milk and sugar base with a thickener.
It’s pronounced like “moose” and comes from a french word that means “froth” or “foam”
It is a way to describe the consistency of something. Basically, when you lift your beaters, the peaks of the cream should flop over immediately. Medium peaks hold their shape except for the tip, and stiff peaks stay straight up when you lift your beaters.
I have included step by step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Recommended Equipment/Tools
- Mixing Bowl
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Gelatin. Make sure this has dissolved
- Cold water. We dissolve the gelatin in cold water. Make sure it’s fully dissolved.
- Boiling water.
- Sugar. Regular white sugar
- Cocoa powder. You may wish to sift this if yours is especially lumpy.
- Cream. Use heavy whipping cream, do not substitute for half and half or milk!
- Irish Cream. Bailey’s or any other Irish Cream works great. Leave out if you are serving to children.
- Vanilla extract.
How to make this recipe
Scroll for Recipe
The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Before you begin, prep bowl and beaters by placing in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
Dissolve and mix gelatin
Mix the gelatin into the cold water in small bowl and let sit about a minute, to soften/gel.
Add boiling water then stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Let stand to cool (it will resemble a thick paste).
Make the mousse base
Combine the sugar and cocoa in small mixing bowl and add the heavy cream.
Beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form.
Add in Bailey’s, vanilla, and gelatin mixture, beating continuously at high speed until well blended (soft peaks).
Pour into serving dishes and refrigerate for about an hour, or until you are ready to serve.
Serve
Just before serving, add some whipped cream and chocolate shavings to the top.
Devour.
Kylee’s Notes
Before you begin, prep bowl and beaters by placing in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
Do not overbeat – it will become gummy and gluey and the texture won’t be as fluffy.
Soft peaks: When you lift your beaters, the peaks of the cream should flop over immediately.
Stiff peaks: Stay straight up when you lift your beaters.
- Slutty Brownies Make this decadent dessert from scratch! With cookie dough on the base, oreos in the middle and brownie batter poured over the top, these are the ultimate dessert!
- Oreo Dirt Pudding Parfaits. Make this classic chocolatey deliciousness into individual servings, for an easy dessert!
- Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie. Flaky pie crust filled with a custard-like filling, that will invoke memories of times gone by.
- Apple Dumplings. Tart apples wrapped in a flaky biscuit and smothered in a buttery vanilla sauce. Topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar, this is a super easy recipe that delivers on taste!
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Source: Adapted from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse
Suggested Equipment
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons plain gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder sift, if extra lumpy
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream or a similar product
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1/2 cup Whipped cream
- 2 tablespoons Chocolate shavings
Instructions
Get prepped
- Before you begin, prep bowl and beaters by placing in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
Dissolve the gelatin
- Mix the gelatin into the cold water in small bowl and let sit about a minute, to soften/gel.
- Add boiling water then stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Let stand to cool (it will resemble a thick paste).
Make the mousse
- Combine the sugar and cocoa in small mixing bowl and add the heavy cream.
- Beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form.
- Add in Bailey’s, vanilla, and gelatin mixture, beating continuously at high speed until well blended (soft peaks).
- Pour into serving dishes and refrigerate for about an hour, or until you are ready to serve.
Serve
- Just before serving, add some whipped cream and chocolate shavings to the top.
- Devour.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
Recipes written and produced on Kylee Cooks are for informational purposes only. Kylee is not a certified nutritionist. Nutritional data provided on Kylee Cooks has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.
Update: This recipe was originally published in April of 2016. It was republished with updated photos in November of 2021.
Liz says
This is delicious! A great little holiday treat!
Cathleen says
Bailey’s and chocolate might be the best combo around!! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing chocolate mousse recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Jen R says
Can I make it without alcohol? How would the recipe be adjusted? What could I substitute? I liked that I didn’t need eggs or a double boiler and chocolate, so I want to keep this recipe.
Pat Geller says
This tasted very good and was a big hit with everyone at dinner. However, I ended up with tiny bits of gelatin which distracted from the creamy texture. Any idea of what went wrong and how I can avoid this from happening the next time? Thank you.
Kylee says
That sometimes happens to me – I reduce the time that I let the gelatin sit, and mix it in quickly
Jan says
Can you use this as a cake filling?
Kylee says
I don’t think it is solid enough to hold up under a layer cake, but injected into cupcakes – yes!
Bea says
I love this recipe!! It just so happens, I have plenty of Bailey’s..of course I’m just trying to keep it from getting old..lol .
Kylee says
That’s awesome, Bea!! Glad YOU have plenty of Bailey’s. I “panicked” and drank all mine 😉
christie says
chocolate mousse is easy to make and really interesting post.
Jen says
Can you substitute Rum Chata for Bailey’s? Or will it affect the mousse?
Kylee says
I have not tried that! Is Rumchata creamy?
Kim says
Has anyone tried to sub with kahlua?
Kylee says
I have! It’s pretty good! If you’re into kahlua, check out these mini kahlua cheesecakes….
Lis @ The Fare Sage says
I’m all about booze in desserts too – love this recipe, thanks!!!