Rich and creamy this white chocolate mousse was a holiday favorite at my catered events. Smooth white chocolate, refreshing peppermint, velvety cream cheese, and fluffy whipped cream blend into a luscious mousse that’s perfect for the season. Just the right amount to satisfy a post-dinner sweet tooth, this dessert will delight your family and friends. Make it ahead of time for easy serving.
This white chocolate mousse is the perfect dessert for holiday celebrations. Luxuriously rich and creamy, it only takes a small serving to satisfy your sweet tooth, making it an ideal finale to a big dinner. Light and elegant, it’s just enough indulgence without leaving you feeling too full, and the peppermint flavor is refreshing. Garnish with crushed peppermint candies or sparkly red sprinkles for a festive touch.
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- It's creamy, rich, and light.
- Easy to make ahead of time.
- Great for holiday parties and entertaining.
- The peppermint is a nice surprise but you make other flavors.
- No eggs.
For another creamy mousse recipe, try this easy pumpkin mousse.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted butter.
- White chocolate: My favorite is the 35% Valhrona for the quality and taste. Buy it in blocks or pieces (called feves or discs).
- Cream: You need heavy whipping cream.
- Extract: Peppermint extract used for baking and flavoring.
- Sweetener: Either agave syrup or sugar-free simple syrup
- Cream cheese: Get the block of cream cheese, full fat, not low fat, not the tub or whipped.
- Optional Garnishes: Peppermint candies crushed fine (sometimes called peppermint snow) or red sugar sprinkles.
Here's another one of my favorite dessert recipes, this creamy light lemon mousse.
Chef's tip: To make your own "peppermint snow" for garnish, place peppermint candies in a zip bag and finely crush with a rolling pin (or buy crushed peppermint candy). Another option is placing them in a food processor and pulsing until it's fine.
Substitutions and Variations
Make white chocolate mousse in different flavors.
- If you don't like peppermint, use vanilla extract and change up the garnish to a different colored sugar sprinkle or even dark chocolate sprinkles or chocolate shavings.
- Make a white chocolate coconut mousse with coconut extract and toasted coconut for the garnish.
- Use almond extract and finely chopped toasted almonds.
For a super easy chocolate mousse, try this 5 minute Chocolate Mousse recipe.
About White Chocolate
Is white chocolate really chocolate? It depends on whom you ask. Purists will argue that it’s not really chocolate, others argue that it is. White chocolate is made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, vanilla and lecithin. White chocolate simply swaps out the cocoa solids of regular dark chocolate for milk solids, and it has lots of cocoa butter. Read here for more details on white chocolate if you're curious.
White chocolate can be very sweet, and if not good quality, can taste waxy (plastic-y), chalky, and cheap. That's why you've got to get a top quality brand.
After trying several, my favorite (and it's usually top rated) is the French brand, Valrhona. They make 35% cacao white chocolate (bar or coins) that are sweet and creamy, not waxy. It’s available at Whole Foods, better grocers, some cooking stores and online.
Chef's tip: How to create a double boiler. Place a medium saucepan filled with a few inches of water over medium heat. When the water starts to simmer, place a stainless steel or glass bowl on top of the pan. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Why do this? It's a gentle way of melting chocolate and other sensitive ingredients.
How to Make White Chocolate Mousse
Step 1: Slowly melt the white chocolate with unsalted butter over a barely simmering double boiler. This gently melts the chocolate and butter. Do it too fast and your chocolate will be grainy.
Step 2: In a separate bowl whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add the peppermint extract, sweetener, and salt. In the bowl with the cooled white chocolate, add the cream cheese and whip until smooth.
Step 3: Fold the whipped cream, white chocolate, and cream cheese together by hand with a flexible spatula. Cover the mousse and chill for a few hours to stiffen up before serving if you are piping. Otherwise it can be served soft.
Serving and Storage
To serve white chocolate mousse, I use 2 ounce ramekins because it's rich and just a little satisfies a sweet tooth. Sprinkle with the finely crushed peppermint candies or red sugar crystals as a beautiful accent and festive touch.
White chocolate mousse lasts 3 to 4 days stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The mousse's texture may start to lose some of its fluffiness over time, so for the best taste and texture, aim to serve it within 1-2 days at best.
Recipe FAQs
Grainy mousse can happen if the chocolate isn’t fully melted or if it's over-mixed with the whipped cream. Be gentle when folding the ingredients to keep the texture smooth.
Chill the mousse in the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving. This allows it to firm up to the perfect consistency.
Loosen or lighten a heavy mousse by folding in a little more whipped cream or gently stirring in a spoonful of milk. This should help soften the texture.
Melt it slowly and gently, and keep any moisture or water away from it as it causes chocolate to seize. Be patient with the melting process, and use a double boiler which can be more controllable than the microwave. While it's melting, stir occasionally to keep chocolate from overheating.
More Decadent Holiday Dessert Recipes
From lemon to chocolate or vanilla, from rich to light, try some of these decadent desserts.
⭐️Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make white chocolate mousse, please comment and let me know how you liked it. If you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers and I enjoy hearing from you.
Originally published 12-11-2011, now updated for you.
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
- Piping bags and tips optional
Ingredients
Mousse
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces white chocolate bar or discs, chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream well chilled
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup, keto syrup, or simple syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
Optional Garnishes
- Peppermint candies or candy canes crushed fine
- Red sugar sprinkles
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Instructions
Set up double boiler
- Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water to set up a double boiler. Place butter and white chocolate in a stainless steel or glass bowl that will fit partially inside the pan. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. When the water comes to a strong simmer, place the bowl on top and turn the heat down to low.
Melt the White Chocolate
- Slowly melt the white chocolate and butter together. It will take just a few minutes. When it’s melted together, stir and remove from the heat. Allow to cool.
Whip the Cream and Cream Cheese
- In a separate bowl or container whip the cream to stiff peaks. Add the peppermint extract, sweetener, and salt. In the bowl with the cooled white chocolate, add the cream cheese and whip until smooth.
Finish Mousse
- Fold the whipped cream, white chocolate, and cream cheese together by hand. Cover and chill for a few hours to stiffen up before serving if you are piping. Otherwise it can be served soft. Small 2 ounce ramekins work well. At serving, sprinkle with the peppermint snow. Red sugar crystals are optional for more color.
Notes
Nutrition
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Amber says
This looks delicious for my families Christmas dinner. May I ask for a suggestion for an alternative to the agave. Honey seems like it would be too bold a flavor. Maybe a really thick simple syrup?
Sally says
Hi Amber. It's really good, and quite rich. A Christmas splurge. A mild honey could be ok if you like honey. Might be nice. Agave really doesn't have much of a flavor. I just don't do simple syrup as it's usually white sugar and water. No white sugar in my pantry. But you could do it with an unrefined, organic, more natural sugar. I am curious, what don't you like about agave? Maybe you just don't have any. I don't use it much anymore. If you want to reduce sugar, use a liquid flavored stevia, maybe the vanilla cream. Made by Sweet Leaf. I use that quite a bit these days. Have you tried it? Please let me know what you do and thanks for asking. Love to hear from readers!
Valerie says
What a gorgeously festive mousse! I'm a dark chocolate addict, but this looks too luscious to pass up...peppermint and white chocolate make a delicious couple. 🙂
Sally says
Yes they do make a good pair! Pipe it into dark chocolate shells. Heavenly! I do that for catered parties because the chocolate shells really take it over the top for dessert presentations.
Dina says
so cute and sound so good!
Chef Debbie says
This mousse is one of my favorite recipes and I'm definitely going to try it with crushed peppermint candy and then serve with a pretty candy cane dipped in white and dark chocolate 🙂