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You are here: Home / chocolate / Happy Belated Birthday Alex! Worms in Dirt Mousse Cups

Happy Belated Birthday Alex! Worms in Dirt Mousse Cups

June 18, 2009 By Laura 5 Comments

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Belated because near the end of Alex’s party on Sunday, when nearly everyone was gone anyway, we had the mother of all thunderstorms, got 2 inches of water in 30 minutes (sending our creek into flash flood), and had a big power surge, which, while we did not lose power, totally destroyed our internet box. Right before John went out of town to another conference, no less.

Sheesh!

Because we are new to owning a creek and not very sensible, we actually went down to look at it. This tree trunk, which is alive and growing across the creek, normally forms a natural bridge across the creek about 2 feet above the water. Yeah we quickly figured out we needed to vacate the premises and went back to the house.

Anyway, Alex’s birthday party, our first with kids, went off really well. We had a range of kids (19 mos to 4 1/2 yrs), their parents, and an assortment of relatives. For entertainment we had Alex’s new sandbox and a fairly deep toddler pool. We also had water guns, so I think a good time was had by all. We served shrimp, scallops and pork tenderloin with a warm tropical fruit sauce (more on that later, as we changed it a bit from my previous post on the topic)–HUGE THANKS to my sister Josie for helping me with the seafood. There was also veggies, fruit, chips, etc, but that was the bulk of the lunch.

Most of the kids sat with Alex for dessert. She seriously enjoyed being the center of attention, I could tell. Who wouldn’t? 😉 We adults were all quite amused at how they all sat facing one direction.

For dessert we served these wonderful little mousse cups. I thought worms in dirt would be fun for the kids, but I really detest pudding, so I made my own up, layering milk chocolate mouse on the bottom, followed by a really good whipped cream, followed by crushed chocolate wafers and gummy worms. Nothing fancy, but really, really good. This mousse recipe is my absolute favorite since it cannot be beat for ease of preparation.

Milk Chocolate Mousse
AliceMedrich, Bittersweet

*Medrich notes that this method (same amounts of ingredients) also works for white chocolate, but advises against it for dark chocolate.

9 oz milk chocolate (I used Guittard 38% cacao–Scharffenberger is my favorite but the wallet would not stretch that far since I quadrupled this recipe)
6 T water (or half water and half liqueur of choice–I used all water because of the kids)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Place the chocolate and water in a heat proof bowl. Either melt over a double boiler or in the microwave at 30% power for 3 minutes. Stir until completely melted and smooth and set aside to cool. The chocolate must cool to about 85 F (Medrich notes a small dab on the lip should feel cool; I used a thermometer)–do not let it cool lower than 85 F as the mousse will end up grainy. When the mousse is getting close to 85 F, it is time to fix the cream.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl “only until it is thickened and barely beginning to hold a shape–when you tilt the bowl it should flow to one side, fluffy but still pourable…”–I have quoted Medrich here as she emphasizes that you will think the cream is not whipped enough but it is and she is right. It should barely be whipped.

Scrape the cream into the 85 F bowl of chocolate and quickly but gently fold the 2 together until they are completely blended. The mousse should seem too soft–it still needs to chill. Divide it up between your serving glasses or bowls (or leave it in one big bowl) and chill until set. This will be at least an hour for individual servings, more for a large bowl. I chilled mine overnight.

Filed Under: chocolate, Creek in Ohio, mousse, No Bake Desserts Tagged With: children's dessert, chocolate, chocolate cookies, chocolate mousse dirt cups, cookie, gummy worms, milk chocolate mousse, mousse, oreo crumbs, worms in dirt

« Strawberry Lemonade Bars
Wrapping Up Alex’s Birthday: Lemon Serviceberry Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Frosting »

Comments

  1. Josie says

    June 18, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    These mousse cups were sooooo delicious! I definitely recommend trying them (as long as you are okay with wanting to eat them all… I had 2 ;))

    Reply
  2. That Girl says

    June 18, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Just so you know, adults love dirt cups too. I made them for the the hubs and I to bring in to work a couple of Halloweens ago and they disappeared like money.

    Reply
  3. Grace says

    June 19, 2009 at 8:14 am

    regardless of age, these would be an absolute hit! come on–chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate and gummy goodness all add up to DELICIOUS.

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    June 19, 2009 at 9:20 am

    What a fun party! I love dirt cake and I imagine it would be especially good with chocolate mousse!

    Reply
  5. Ingrid says

    June 22, 2009 at 10:35 am

    Happy Birthday, Alex! Bet the kids adored that dessert….lots of fun.
    ~ingrid

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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