Friday, August 5, 2011

chocolate mouse cream bites with graham cracker crust and bananas

This recipe is my baby. I invented it about a year ago, and every time I ask my brother what I should bake he suggests these. They are pretty easy to make, they look really cute, they are fun to decorate, and they are like an explosion of deliciousness in each bite. Perfect for so many occasions!




Ingredients:
graham cracker crust-
12 graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
mouse- 
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cream

2 bananas
Handful of blueberries
handful of strawberries
(or any combination of the three)

How to make them:
First make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a food processor grind the graham crackers and sugar until all the pieces are made into fine crumbs. Next melt the butter and add the chocolate chips and butter (when still hot so the chips can melt a bit) to the crumbs and process until combined. The crust is ready when a bit of crust holds its shape when you press it in the palm of your hand.
Press the crust (with your thumb) into either a pam'ed or muffin cup paper lined mini muffin pan. Make sure there is enough crust on the sides or bottom so that they will hold their shape when cooled.
Bake for 13 min until the crust is golden brown (without chocolate) or a deeper brown (with chocolate).
Set them aside to cool and harden.

Make the ganache:
Heat the butter and 2 tbsp cream to a boil and add them to to chocolate chips until melted completely. If the mixture is too thick (not smooth and glossy) add another tablespoon of boiling cream and mix until combined.

Take the crust out of the muffin pan (by flipping upside down and tapping gently). Spoon about 1/2 tsp of the ganache into the bottom of each mini crust.

Make the mouse:
With an electric mixture combine the 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream, vanilla and sugar. Whip the cream on high until it thickens and the peaks formed when you lift the mixer out of the cream hold their shape.
Set aside about 1/2 cup of cream.
With the rest of the cream: Fold a bit of the remaining cream into the rest of the cooled ganache (really make sure its cooled) to loosed it up a bit more. Then fold the loosened ganache into the whipped cream in 3 parts folding until combined.

Using a small spoon, put about 1 tsp of the mouse into each crust (which also has to be completely cooled) so that the mouse fills the cup until the top.

Now for the fun part -- decorating!
Use the 1/2 cup of cream you set aside and the fruit you chose (cut into slices) to decorate the little cups and voilá!