SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon instant decaffeinated coffee
• 1/4 cup organic agave
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 handful of carob or chocolate chips, or to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans
• 4 toasted pecan halves for garnish
• 1/2 cup toasted organic coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Place a stainless steel bowl and stainless steel stand mixer whisk attachment or metal beaters in the freezer.
2. Place milk, unflavored gelatin, vanilla, and instant coffee in a medium saucepan and mix well. Let sit for five minutes to soften gelatin. Place uncovered over medium low heat and stir in agave. Once mixture begins to heat up, add cocoa powder and stir until combined. Let mixture heat until it nearly boils, about 180 degrees. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cool and thickened. Don’t chill too long or it will be too thick to incorporate whipped cream.
3. While chocolate mixture is chilling, place heavy whipping into chilled bowl. Whip on medium high using a stand mixer or hand held mixer until stiff peaks form. You can test this by lifting up the beater – if the cream forms a peak and the peak doesn’t fall over then you’ve reached the stiff peak stage. Be careful not to over beat your cream. Cover and chill until chocolate mixture is ready.
4. Take 1/4 of the whipped cream and stir it right into the chocolate mix. This will lighten the mix enough to accept the remaining cream without deflating it. Fold the remaining cream into the chocolate in two or three additions, adding more when the previous addition has started to incorporate. Once you add the last addition of cream, grate the carob or chocolate chips directly over the mousse with a rotary cheese grater then continue folding. Resist the temptation to stir. Just keep folding until your mousse is nearly homogeneous. Cover and chill overnight.
5. Crush the toasted pecans and coconut with your fingers. Spoon mounds of chocolate mousse into 4 beautiful, stemmed dessert dishes and top with a sprinkling of pecans and coconuts. Place a toasted pecan half on top of each as final garnish. Serve with bowls of the remaining toasted pecans and coconut for those guests that are feeling particularly gluttonous.