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This white chocolate mousse is the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert. Creamy, airy, and indulgent, this white chocolate mousse pairs perfectly with fresh raspberries or strawberries.

A silky, airy white chocolate mousse is a stunning Valentine’s Day dessert.

I absolutely love mousse. A good mousse is a delicate balance of aeration and temperature to achieve structure and volume. Aeration–which is the process of whipping air into ingredients–adds volume and a light, airy texture to the mouse. At the same time, heat stabilizes the ingredients and ensures that the mousse will set properly.

For this recipe, I serve white chocolate mousse with macerated raspberries. I use the excess egg whites to make meringue cookies that add the perfect crunch to the mousse. They’re optional, but eggs are expensive right now, so you may as well use the egg whites for something, right?

How to make white chocolate mousse

What you need

Eggs: You’ll use egg yolks as the base of the mousse. Be mindful that the eggs are not fully cooked in the recipe, though they are mixed with hot corn syrup. However, if the idea of raw eggs makes you nervous or if you’re pregnant or immunocompomised, you’ll want to skip this recipe.
Heavy cream: Whipped heavy cream is what creates gives mousse its signature airy, light texture.
Corn syrup: Corn syrup is great in mousse because you won’t have to worry about sugar crystalizing as it sets up, ensuring that you have a silky smooth mousse.
Brandy, white chocolate, and vanilla paste or extract: The mousse is flavored with brandy, white chocolate, and vanilla paste. You can use vanilla extract if that’s what you have. If you don’t have brandy, you can omit it.
Raspberries: I macerate the raspberries in a little sugar for ultimate sweet decadence, though it’s delicious without macerating them too. The white chocolate mousse is also delicious with strawberries or blackberries on top.
Egg whites: This recipe uses three egg yolks, meaning you’ll have three egg whites leftover. While you can certainly use them for an egg white omelet later in the week, I love turning them into crispy little meringues that I use on top of the mousse. They require a bit of extra work, but it’s so worth it, and you can prepare them as the mousse sets up in the refrigerator.

How to make it

Step 1: Start with the foundation of your mousse. First, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Be sure the cream is very stiff, as this is what creates the light, airy texture, and you don’t want it to deflate when you add it to the mousse later on. Refrigerate it until needed.
Step 2: Prepare the egg base. Beat egg yolks until they triple in volume and become very pale yellow and thick. It will have almost a pudding consistency. This will take upwards of 10 to 15 minutes of consistent beating. Be sure that the eggs reach that thick, voluminous, pale yellow stage before moving on.

Step 3: Heat the corn syrup. I’ve tested this both on the stovetop and in the microwave, and heating it in a glass measuring cup in the microwave is much simpler. Simply microwave for 1 minute until it boils. Remove from the microwave and let stand for about 30 seconds to allow the bubbles to die down.
Step 4: With the mixer on, slowly drizzle the warm corn syrup into the egg yolks. Continue mixing until the mixture cools down, about 5 minutes total.

Step 5: In the same glass measuring cup, add the chopped white chocolate, brandy, and heavy cream. Microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth and creamy.
Step 6: With the mixer on, pour the white chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. Continue mixing until the chocolate is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture has cooled down, about 5 minutes total. It’s imperative that the mixture cools down at this stage because you will add the whipped cream next. If the mixture is too hot, it will deflate the heavy cream. All the work you did to aerate the cream will be for naught! If you want to be sure, test the temperature of the mixture with an instant-read thermometer. It should be between 80ºF and 88ºF.

Step 7: Once the egg mixture cools down, gently fold in the heavy cream until combined. Don’t overmix the cream to avoid deflating it.

Step 8: Spoon the mixture into your dessert cups of choice. I used these adorable Ramona coupe glasses that I bought from Anthropologie. I serve them in 5-ounce portions (approximately). It’s quite decadent, so this is plenty for a serving, especially considering the additional raspberries and meringues. The recipe yields about 40 ounces of mousse total, so you’ll have 8 5-ounce portions.
Step 9: Cover each dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the mousse sets up.

The Raspberries

Step 1: Combine fresh raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Meringues

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Line baking sheets with white parchment paper. If you use brown parchment paper, your meringues may turn brown as they bake. It won’t impact the taste at all, but don’t be alarmed if they turn out brown; it’s just the parchment paper! Combine the reserved room temperature egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla extract. Start by beating the eggs until frothy.

Step 2: Add granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. You want to ensure the sugar dissolves after each addition before adding more. Continue until all the sugar has been incorporated and the egg whites are glossy with stiff peaks. This will take 10 to 12 minutes of consistent beating.
Step 3: Add the meringue mixture to a piping bag with a star tip. You can make the meringues as large or small as you like. Because I’m serving them on the mousse, I make them quite small–less than an inch in diameter–as they work nicely for garnish. However, you will have to pipe about 165 of these tiny cookies. If you want to save your sanity, make them larger.

Step 4: Transfer both baking sheets to the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and crack the oven door slightly. Let cool for 1 hour before removing from the oven.

Once the meringues have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container or storage bag for 2 to 3 weeks on the counter. Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Assemble the mousse

At last, we can assemble the mousse! Remove the mousse from the refrigerator and serve the raspberries on top. Serve each mousse with a few meringues on top and enjoy a few extra on the side.