Layered Mousse Brownies
These delicious fudge brownies are topped with whipped chocolate mousse and creamy chocolate ganache. They're rich in flavor but so easy to make!
Equipment
- 8x8 baking pan
- Hand or stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- whisk
- Mixing bowls
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the brownie layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup melted chocolate chips 2 ounces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the mousse and ganache layer
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
To make the chocolate ganache
- Pour the heavy cream into a medium-sized microwave safe bowl and heat the cream for 30-45 seconds in the microwave, or until almost boiling. You can also heat until almost boiling on the stove using a small saucepan.
- Remove the cream from heat and add the chocolate chips. Mix until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Return to heat for a few seconds if needed to fully melt the chocolate.
- Reserve ½ cup of the chocolate ganache mixture. Set it aside for topping the brownies later.
- Place the remaining chocolate ganache in the fridge to begin cooling. While it cools, make the brownie batter.
To make the brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. I recommend spraying the pan with cooking spray before lining it with parchment paper (this helps the parchment paper stick to the pan). Set the pan aside.
- In a medium-large mixing bowl, add melted butter and granulated sugar. Whisk together (or use a hand mixer) until combined.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, melted chocolate and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add the cocoa powder and mix (carefully) until well combined. This part can be messy!
- Add the flour and mix until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined 8x8 baking pan and use a silicone spatula to spread the batter evenly throughout the pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean (or with some crumbs).
- Once fully baked, remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature before adding the mousse layer. Put them in the fridge for faster cooling, if desired.
To make the chocolate mousse
- While the brownies are baking, remove the chocolate ganache from the fridge. Take care not to let it get too cool to where the mixture sets. The chocolate should begin to feel cool to the touch - that means it's ready to whip into mousse!
- Once the mixture is cool to the touch, remove it from the fridge and place it in a medium-large bowl or in a stand mixer bowl. I recommend using a stand mixer if you have it because the whipping process can take multiple minutes.
- Whip the chocolate on medium-high speed using the whisk attachment. Mix until the mixture lightens and fluffs up. This will take 3-5 minutes.
To assemble the brownies
- Once the brownies have fully cooled, gently spread the whipped chocolate ganache evenly over the brownies.
- Pour the reserved non-whipped chocolate ganache over the top of the mousse and gently spread it to cover the entire pan of brownies.
- Return the brownies to the fridge to allow the ganache to fully set (20-30 minutes), then enjoy! Keep these stored in the fridge.