No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Amaretti Crumbs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A trattoria-style dessert built entirely in the fridge: silky egg-free chocolate mousse enriched with mascarpone, layered with lightly sweetened whipped cream and crushed amaretti cookies in glasses. Assemble the night before and the layers settle into something that tastes far more expensive than it is — pull them out, shower with shaved chocolate, and serve.

Ingredients

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
• 8 oz mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp mascarpone (optional, for stability)

• 5 oz amaretti cookies (about 20 crisp cookies), or biscotti
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp amaretto or strong brewed espresso, cooled (optional)
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, for shaving
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Set out six 8-to-10-ounce glasses (stemless wine glasses, tumblers, or small jars all work). Wipe the insides dry so the layers stay crisp-edged.
2. Make the crumbs: seal the amaretti in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a skillet until you have a mix of coarse sand and pea-size pieces — you want texture, not powder. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of crumbs to a bowl, drizzle in the melted butter and the amaretto or espresso, and toss with a fork until barely damp. Reserve 1/4 cup of dry crumbs separately for the tops.
3. Melt the chocolate: put the 6 oz chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50% power in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, for 60 to 90 seconds total, until about three-quarters melted. Stir off the heat until fully smooth. Let it cool for 5 to 8 minutes, until just barely warm to the touch (about 90°F) — hot chocolate will seize the dairy.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the room-temperature mascarpone with the espresso powder, vanilla, and salt until smooth and loose, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the cooled melted chocolate in two additions until you have a glossy, uniform paste. If the mascarpone is cold it may look grainy; keep whisking and it will come together.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the 1 1/4 cups cold cream with the 1/3 cup powdered sugar on medium-high speed to soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes — the peaks should droop when the beater is lifted. Do not take it to stiff peaks or the mousse will turn pasty.
6. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture with a flexible spatula to lighten it, working briskly. Add the remaining cream in two additions and fold gently, cutting down the middle and sweeping up the sides, until no streaks remain. The mousse should mound softly on the spatula.
7. Whip the topping cream: beat the 1 cup cold cream with 2 tbsp powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the optional 1 tbsp mascarpone to medium peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. The mascarpone keeps it from weeping overnight.
8. Layer the parfaits: spoon about 2 tablespoons of buttered crumbs into each glass and press lightly. Add a scant 1/3 cup mousse (a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped keeps the glass clean), then a spoonful of whipped cream, then another tablespoon of crumbs, then the remaining mousse. Reserve the rest of the whipped cream for serving.
9. Cover the glasses tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, so the mousse sets to a sliceable-soft texture and the crumbs soften into a cake-like layer.
10. Just before serving, top each parfait with a spoonful of the reserved whipped cream, shave the remaining 1 oz chocolate over the top with a vegetable peeler, and scatter with the reserved dry crumbs and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve cold, straight from the fridge.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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