“Celebrate Good Times, Come On”
Happy National S’mores Day! Today, we are celebrating with a S’mores Mousse Parfait! This is a different take on the classic s’mores for those of you who, like me, do not have a fire pit to toast your marshmallows over. This s’mores mousse parfait has layers of buttery graham cracker crumble, rich chocolate mousse, and marshmallow fluff whipped cream. I know it sounds overwhelming, but this dessert is actually very light due to the amount of air whipped into the mousse and whipped cream!
Battle of the S’mores
I wanted to give you all a s’mores recipe in celebration for this day, and this dessert was also inspired by Ghiardelli and The Feedfeed’s S’mores Contest. Before I was even aware of the contest, I had already planned to make this s’mores mousse parfait. On a whim, I decided to enter, seeing as I was already going to post a s’mores recipe. Kill two birds with one stone, why don’t we? I’m not entering with any expectations. For me, this experience is simply about putting myself out there. If I win, that would honestly shock me because, as I said, I’m not entering with any expectations, but I would also be really proud of myself. If I lose, it’s okay. I gave it my best shot, and I tried. So we shall see what happens.
We Love a Good Crumble
Now that that’s out of the way, lets get into this s’mores parfait! It has all of the elements of the classic s’mores, but takes on a different form. The graham cracker crumble is mixed and baked with sugar, spice (cinnamon), and everything nice (butter). Powerpuff girls, anyone? My sister and I were big fans when we were younger. I was Bubbles and she was Blossom — if anyone was wondering. Anyway, the sugar adds additional sweetness and aids in caramelization, the cinnamon provides a warm spice, and the butter adds flavor. This graham cracker crumble provides a crisp texture in the midst of all the creamy airiness around it.
Watch Me Whip
For the chocolate mousse, I started by melting chocolate and butter over a double boiler. To create a double boiler, fill a pot with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer. Then put a heat-proof bowl on top of the pot. You want your bowl to be slightly bigger than the pot so that it can sit within the rim of your pot. Make sure that the bottom of your bowl does not touch the water in the pot. With this method, the steam created by the simmering water heats the bowl and gently melts your chocolate. Once the chocolate melted, I folded in the whipped egg whites and whipped cream. Aannddd ta-da! You have your chocolate mousse! Super rich, super light, and, most importantly, super yummy!
Now, onto the marshmallow fluff whipped cream! I’m honestly not sure where to take this because this component of the s’mores parfait is exactly what it’s called. It’s marshmallow fluff whipped together with heavy cream, creating marshmallow fluff whipped cream! Woohoo! We love a simple recipe! If you didn’t think a marshmallow could get any fluffier, think again. This component is so light and airy and contains that unmistakable marshmallow flavor.
Want S’mores?
I served these s’mores mousse parfaits in medium-large sized glasses, but you can definitely make them in smaller shot glasses if you’re serving a crowd. It is the perfect way to end the night because it satisfies your sweet tooth but isn’t too heavy. This s’mores mousse parfait is so good that it’ll leave you wanting s’more. With that said, have a great National S’mores Day, and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
S’mores Mousse Parfait
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Mousse
- 6.5 oz Semisweet Chocolate (chopped)
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter (cubed)
- 3 Large Eggs (eggs and yolks separated)
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
For the Graham Cracker Crumble
- 10 Full Graham Cracker Sheets (about 1 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs)
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
For the Marshmallow Fluff Whipped Cream
- 1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 1/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
- 1 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
For Topping the Parfait
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate Squares
- Graham Crackers
Instructions
For the Chocolate Mousse
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high speed until you develop stiff peaks. If you dip the whisk attachment into the whipped cream and pull it out, the cream should form a peak and remain stable and upright. If you choose to whip your cream by hand, place the bowl in the freezer to chill a few minutes before whipping the cream. When the bowl had chilled, add in the cream and whip with a whisk until you get stiff peaks. Set aside the whipped cream in the fridge.
- In a bowl over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter. Whisk frequently to combine the butter and the chocolate and prevent seizing. Once the butter and chocolate have melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler. While whisking the chocolate, add in the egg yolks one at a time. The constant whisking helps to prevent the eggs from cooking from the heat of the chocolate. Add in the kosher salt and mix. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly.
- While the chocolate is cooling, use a whisk or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip your egg whites. Once the eggs have become foamy, add in the sugar and cream of tartar. Increase the whipping speed to high until you develop stiff peaks.
- Gently fold in half of the whipped egg whites into the melted chocolate. When most of the egg whites have been incorporated, fold in the remaining half of the whipped egg whites. After the egg whites have been combined, repeat the same process with the whipped cream. Once everything if fully combined, set the mousse aside in the fridge.
For the Graham Cracker Crumble
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Place the graham cracker cookie sheets in a food processor and pulse until the cookies have been broken down into crumbs. You do not want the crumbs to be too fine, as you want some texture. The crumbs should resemble the size of panko bread crumbs. Alternatively, you can place the graham crackers in a ziploc bag and crush them with a heavy object like a rolling pin.
- In a medium sized bowl, add in the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, kosher salt, and melted butter. Mix until combined and the texture resembles wet sand. Spread the crumbs onto the sheet tray in an even layer and place it in the oven.
- Bake the crumbs for about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking process. Once the crumbs have turned golden brown and give off a toasted aroma, remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the Marshmallow Fluff Whipped Cream
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and vanilla extract until you form very soft peaks. Add in the marshmallow fluff and kosher salt and whip, increasing the speed to high. When you develop stiff peaks, the whipped cream is finished.
To Assemble the Parfait
- Transfer the mousse and marshmallow whipped cream into separate piping bags. In your serving glass, add a few spoonfuls of the graham cracker crumble. It should be enough to cover the bottom of the glass. Pipe a layer of the marshmallow whipped cream over the crumble. Then pipe a layer of the chocolate mousse on top of the marshmallow whipped cream. Repeat this entire process starting with the graham cracker crumble until you reach 1/2 an inch from the top of your glass.
- Add a layer of marshmallows on top of your last layer. Use a blow torch to toast the marshmallows to your liking. Garnish the parfait with a toasted marshmallow on the rim and a square of chocolate and graham cracker. Enjoy!
