You Only Need 3 Ingredients For Cottage Cheese-Packed Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse easily runs the gamut from a light, casual snack to a rich dessert after a classy dinner. Still, it might be hard to believe that this versatile and scrumptious dessert can be only three ingredients away from your own recipe book. Those would be cottage cheese, sweetener (we really like chocolate chips), and cocoa powder. These ingredients are all you need for a quick, but grand, dessert, though you're welcome to add extras like vanilla extract or chia seeds.

To get started, melt your chocolate chips — 2/3 of a cup will do — in the microwave, going in short bursts and stirring in between to avoid burning. Add this to a food processor or high-speed blender with a cup of cottage cheese and a tablespoon of cocoa powder and blend until smooth. For a light, fluffy dessert serve immediately, but for that classic thick, creamy texture, put the blended mix in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If refrigerated in an airtight container, your mousse should last for three to four days. 

Avoid lumpy mousse by blending thoroughly; your mousse isn't ready until it is entirely smooth. A splash of milk or heavy cream makes this texture easier to accomplish. Meanwhile, draining the surface liquid in packaged cottage cheese and keeping a light hand with liquid ingredients like vanilla extract will keep the mousse from being too watery.

Customize this simple mousse by dressing it with whipped cream or chocolate shavings. For unique textures and flavors, add in some chopped nuts, granola, or crumbled Oreos for a crunchy twist or mix in peppermint extract for a mint chocolate mousse. A teaspoon of syrup or honey or a splash of vanilla easily appeases a sweet tooth, and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries bring this dessert to life. 

As for the mousse itself, keep in mind that the key to a stronger chocolate flavor lies in the cocoa powder. If the mousse is not chocolatey enough, slowly add more cocoa powder until it hits the richness your taste buds crave. While milk chocolate is the star of the show, semi-sweet or dark chocolate also gets the job done and brings more complexity to the treat.

Lastly, look to the cottage cheese when customizing the overall texture of the mousse. While 2% milk fat cottage cheese gives the mousse a reliably creamy texture, fans of a dreamier, creamier chocolate mousse might go for a 4% variety. Alternatively, a lower-fat or fat-free cottage cheese helps achieve a lighter mousse.