No Cook Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse

One spoonful of this light and airy, super chocolatey cheesecake mousse and you may never make mousse the traditional (labor-intensive) way again. Especially because this is probably one of the simplest (yet still fancy) desserts you'll ever make.

I love chocolate mousse, but here's the problem. I can't eat egg yolks (allergy), so I can't enjoy any mousse that's made the traditional way, with eggs. Believe me, I've tried. As I kid, every time I saw chocolate mousse on a restaurant menu, I'd order it and keep my fingers crossed. One bite in and I could tell it was a no-go. If you have food allergies, you know what I mean - it starts with an itchy feeling on your tongue, and then RAPIDLY gets MUCH worse (difficulty swallowing, etc.) if you don't stop while you're ahead. At least that's how it is for me (I realize one bite is too much for some people).

Anyway, I finally stopped ordering it. Stuck to simple things like cake and ice cream. But I still wanted chocolate mousse. In fact, I still do. So guess what? I created an EGG-FREE version! And what makes this recipe even awesome-er is that it's NO COOK! No eggs = no need to cook!

And you won't believe how chocolatey and decadent this easy mousse is. To create a creamy, rich consistency, I used a combination of cream cheese and whipped cream. The cream cheese adds the perfect amount of richness and tang (which balances the sweetness) while adding depth to the mousse. The whipped cream lightens things up, so the mousse floats on on your tongue. It's a spectacular experience.

No Cook Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse 
Note: You can make the mousse up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
Mini semisweet chocolate chips, optional

Combine the heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl and set aside. In the same mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and remaining cup of powdered sugar. Beat until blended. Beat in the cocoa powder and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream to lighten up the cream cheese mixture (don't add all of the whipped cream at once or your mousse won't be as fluffy). When fully incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until just blended.
Spoon the mixture into four dessert bowls or ramekins. Top with mini chocolate chips if desired. Chill until ready to serve (you can serve the mousse right away too!).

Serves 4