Creamy, dreamy chocolate mousse tart. With the soft, melt-on-your-tongue mousse, super easy Oreo cookie crust and simple chocolate topping, you won’t be able to resist the next bite.
A dreamy, soft chocolate filling with the satisfying crunch of that oreo cookie crust, this choc mousse tart is all about simplicity and decadence. It looks stunning and tastes even better, but it won’t leave you tearing your hair out in the kitchen. It has 3 amazingly simple layers.
- Oreo crust – just 3 ingredients and no bake. If you prefer you can swap to this chocolate pie crust base.
- Chocolate mousse – this eggless mousse is simple to make and deliciously rich and indulgent.
- Chocolate topping – a layer of melted chocolate is spread over the top and left to set.
This mousse is adapted from my eggless chocolate mousse and it would also taste amazing filled with this oreo mousse!
This recipe was first published here on June 18th, 2021 and has been updated with clearer step by step photos and more tips.
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Ingredients
You may be pleasantly surprised to see that something that looks so elegant only requires 7 ingredients.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Oreos: Oreos are a favourite of mine but other cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies will work here as well. Delta creams are probably our Aussie equivalent to Oreos but Bourbons will work too.
- Butter: The butter is what holds the base together.
- Salt: A touch of salt always makes everything taste better. You don’t need a lot but it will intensify the flavours beautifully without tasting salty at all.
- Chocolate: It’s important to choose a good quality chocolate as this is the main flavour you’re going to taste. You can use a good quality baking chocolate but I actually prefer to just buy my favourite eating chocolate (I use Cadbury Old Gold either plain 50% or 70%).
- Cream: Cream makes up the other main ingredient for the mousse. It gets whipped up to just-firm peaks, then is folded through the chocolate.
- Icing sugar: This chocolate mousse tart doesn’t need a lot of extra sweetness, relying mainly on the sweetness in the Oreos and chocolate but just a little icing sugar (aka powdered sugar) will make it perfectly indulgent.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract provides flavour complexity and just a little actually makes chocolate taste more chocolatey. Don’t use vanilla essence which is a synthetic flavouring.
How to make chocolate mousse tart
This choc mousse tart is honestly so easy to make. You can have it all prepared in just 20 minutes, leaving you to just be patient while it sets. This eggless mousse uses chocolate as the setting agent so there’s no need to add any gelatine.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. The Oreo Cookie Crust
This crust is beyond easy to make and tastes like buttery Oreos (just when you thought Oreos couldn’t get better – add butter). There’s no need to bake this cookie crust since the butter and cream filling will hold it all together.
You’ll just crush whole Oreos (yep, including the cream filling) – I find a food processor easiest for this – then mix them with melted butter and a pinch of salt. Press this out into your tart tin nice and firmly then leave it in the fridge to set.
2. How to make the mousse filling
You’ll start by making a very quick and simple ganache by melting together cream, chocolate and a little butter in a saucepan over low heat. A touch of salt and vanilla is added then you need it to cool to room temperature.
Next, you just need to whip cream (whipping cream, heavy cream or thickened cream) to soft peaks. You can do this with an electric handheld beater or even a balloon whisk.
Fold the cream and ganache together very gently so as not to knock the air out.
3. Fill and top the tart shell
Now, you just need to tip your chocolate mousse mixture into the tart shell and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula (or whatever utensil you have on hand).
At this point, you have a perfectly delicious chocolate mousse tart, and you could just let it set and top it with chocolate shavings later. This one is simply topped by spreading over melted chocolate and letting that set. Don’t overheat the chocolate or it may melt your mousse slightly. Also, move quickly as you spread it: Since the mousse is cold, the chocolate will be trying to set straight away.
Tips and tricks
- Press the cookie crust into the pan firmly – the flat base of a glass is perfect. Start by tipping all the crumbs into the centre of the tin, then use the glass to spread them out across the base evenly. Now, starting in the middle, press down on the cookie crumbs pressing firmly. Working in circles, gradually move out to the edges. To get a firm edge, press the glass up against the crumbs at the side, while holding the thumb of your other hand over the top to make a firm edge.
- Don’t overwhip the cream or your mousse may turn out grainy – it just needs to be soft peaks.
- Cream should be fridge cold or it won’t whip.
- Make sure the ganache is at room temperature – no longer warm – or it will just turn your whipped cream into liquid.
- Fold the cream and ganache, don’t mix. Folding is a slow, methodical action where you literally lift from underneath and fold over the top until everything is just combined. If you just stir it together, you’ll knock all the air out of the cream.
Tools for this recipe
- A 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom is essential here. The tart pan measurement is from the base of the pan.
- An offset spatula is so helpful for getting a nice flat surface on things like mousse, melted chocolate and buttercream and you’ll be surprised at how often you’ll turn to it once you have one.
- A hand mixer is sufficient here for doing all your mixing.
Can it be made ahead of time?
If the fact that it’s no bake wasn’t already exciting enough, it actually means you can make this chocolate mousse tart ahead of time.
- The oreo pie crust can be made well in advance and even frozen for up to 2-3 months.
- The chocolate mousse filling can be made 2 days ahead.
If frozen, the mousse won’t have such a great texture when it thaws, however you can eat this frozen so it’s a little like an ice cream tart.
Tips for clean slices
To cut through that chocolate topping (which is hard, while the filling is soft), heat the blade of your knife first. You can either do this in hot water, then dry it off or use a kitchen blow torch to gently heat the knife blade.
- Lay the knife blade down on the chocolate and let it melt it’s way through the chocolate then stop before going through the mousse.
- Repeat all the way around the tart, letting the heat of the blade melt a perfect line through the chocolate.
- Once all the chocolate has clean cuts, wipe off the knife and cut down through all those lines to cut your slices cleanly.
Doing it this way means the chocolate doesn’t crack into jagged pieces and push down into the mousse. Cleaning the blade before cutting through the mousse ensures the edges of the mousse stays clean and not covered in melted chocolate.
More recipes you’ll love
- Easy Raspberry Mousse
- Chocolate raspberry tart
- Strawberry Mousse Tart
- Lemon Curd Mousse
- Chocolate Mousse Mud Cake
- No Bake Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
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Did you try this chocolate mousse tart recipe? Show it some love in the comments below.
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Ingredients
THE OREO COOKIE CRUST
- 266 g Oreos (or other cream filled chocolate cookies) (2 packets / 28 cookies)
- 85 g unsalted butter melted (3oz / ¾ stick)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FILLING
- 600 ml whipping cream divided(roughly 2 ½ cups)
- 200 g dark chocolate (50% cooa solids) finely chopped (7oz)
- 57 g unsalted butter (2oz / ½ stick / ¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar (powdered sugar) (notes)
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 85 g dark chocolate (50% cooa solids) extra (3oz)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
THE OREO COOKIE CRUST
- Line the base of a 9 inch loose-based tart tin with baking paper.
- Use a food processor or blender to process the cookies to crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix well.
- Tip the crumbs into the tart tin then use a glass to press it firmly all over the tin and up the sides. Place in the fridge to chill.
THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FILLING
- Pour 2 cups of cream into a large glass bowl and place in the fridge.
- Pour the remaining ½ cup cream into a medium saucepan, and add the 200g chocolate and butter. Heat over very low heat, stirring regularly until about 90% melted.
- Remove from heat and keep stirring until it’s a smooth ganache. Add the vanilla and salt, then set aside to cool to room temperature (1 hour).
- Once the ganache has cooled, beat the remaining 2 cups cream to firm peaks (careful not to overwhip). Quickly, beat in the icing sugar.
- Using a spatula, stir about ½ cup of the whipped cream straight through the ganache to lighten it.
- Now gently fold in half of the remaining whipped cream until there are just a few streaks left. Follow that with the remaining whipped cream, just carefully folding until it’s all mixed in.
- Tip the mousse into your prepared crust and level out leaving about a 1-2mm gap between the top of the mousse and the top of the shell. Chill for 2 hours.
- Melt the remaining 100g chocolate in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well after each until 90% melted. Stir until completely smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the mousse then immediately level out using an offset spatula to spread it right to the edges.
- Chill for a further hour before serving.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- When melting the chocolate, make sure to use very low heat to melt everything together and stop when it’s 90% done so you don’t burn or overheat the chocolate.
- Make sure to fold so you don’t knock the air out of the whipped cream.
- Can be made a couple of days ahead and should be stored in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. Will last 3-4 days.
- The tart shell, unfilled, can be frozen for 2-3 months, wrapped well.
- For clean slices, heat the blade of a knife under hot water then dry, or with a kitchen blow torch, then sit it on top of the chocolate until it melts through. Stop when it hits the mousse, then repeat all the way round for the number of slices you’re cutting. Wipe off the knife, then go and cut all the way through on each slice.
- This tart will begin to soften at room temperature. Serve it straight from the fridge for best results.
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12 Comments on “Chocolate Mousse Tart”
I didn’t have a deep tart pan so I ended up with extra everything. I made little ones in glasses. Instead of the chocolate on top I just added the leftover crumb. My husband doesn’t like too much heavy chocolate so it worked out great as it is his birthday.
I love the pivot, Kat. So happy you love the recipe 🙂
Very special treat, bit of time delays during the process but well worth it. Made this for World Chocolate Day and was a great hit!
I’m so happy to hear this, Jan. Yes, this is a recipe that requires some patience while you wait for setting etc but so impressive when you serve it up 🙂
Thank you Marie for such a luxurious and easy tart. Really simple but so yummy.
So happy you love it, Pamela. Thank you so much for your support.
I made this for an evening with my besties. Needless to say it was a massive hit. I found it one of the easier recipes I have made and it turned out perfect, a must make chocolate lovers recipe for any occasion ❤️
So happy to hear you love it, Lesley. Thanks for sharing!
600 mls was too much whipping cream, next time I’d use 450 mls. I used digestive biscuits for the base as I don’t like Oreos. It tasted lovely, just needs a few tweaks.
Interesting. 600mls works for me. Can I ask what it was that didn’t work for you – was it quantity, flavour, texture?
What a beautiful and elegant tart! The ganache luxuriously rich yet so aerated, silky, and smooth. That’s the winner!
Thanks so much Ben. It really is a winner.