If you enjoy crunchy and creamy textures in your dessert you'll love these Cocoa Almond Nougatine Cups filled with White Chocolate Cherry Mousse.
These individual-size desserts are perfect for a Christmas party.
Each bite-size dessert is completely edible including the cup.
The cup is made of a crispy crunchy almond nougatine, which is somewhat like a nut brittle, only really thin and not quite as hard.
The nougatine is filled with cocoa almonds, so not only is it nutty, but it's chocolaty too. It's wonderful all on its own, but when it's topped with a luxuriously creamy white chocolate cherry mousse, it's amazing!
I love the combination of almonds, cherries, and chocolate but wanted all the texture to be in the almond nougatine cups, so I chose to flavor my white chocolate mousse with almond extract instead of using bits of cherries.
The mousse has a lovely cherry flavor without being overpowering. I topped each dessert with a bright red maraschino cherry, to add some color and an additional pop of cherry flavor.
Recipe
See the step-by-step instructions with pictures below the recipe.
Crispy chocolate almond cookie cups filled with white chocolate cherry mousse make fun little desserts for your upcoming Christmas party.
- 4 ounces 1 cup cocoa almonds
- 3 tablespoons flour
- pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 7 ounces white chocolate callets a finely chopped bar, or white candy melt wafers
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 12 maraschino cherries
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Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Chop almonds into small pieces and toss with flour and salt. Set aside.
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Heat butter, corn syrup, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Stir gently. Let it come to a boil. Stir in floured almonds.
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Pour onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread thin. Set another piece of paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll it out as thin as possible. Remove the top piece of paper then place the baking pan in the oven.
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Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges start to look set and the bubbling starts to subside.
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Butter the cutting edge of a round metal cookie cutter.
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Remove from oven, and immediately use a buttered round metal cookie cutter to cut circles in the hot candy.
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If needed, pop the pan back in the oven for a minute to reheat the nougatine so you can cut 12 circles out.
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Use a metal spatula or knife to pick up a cut piece of nougatine and place it over a mini tart mold, reheat in the oven for a minute or two, then indent the center using a tart tamper.
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Heat ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and white chocolate in microwave on high for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted.
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Whisk remaining 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks.
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Fold cream into chocolate in 3 increments.
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Spoon or pipe into Cocoa Almond Nougatine cups. Top with a maraschino cherry.
Special Supplies:
6 small round metal tart pans or use a muffin tin
a round metal cookie cutter about ¼ inch larger than the top of the tart pans
How to make Cocoa Almond Nougatine Cups filled with White Chocolate Cherry Mousse
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If using mini tart molds, set them on a baking sheet.
- Chop almonds into small pieces and toss with flour and salt. Set aside.Heat butter, corn syrup, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Stir gently. Then allow it to come to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in floured almonds.
- Pour onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread thin. Set another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll it out as thin as possible. Remove the top piece of paper then place the baking pan in the oven.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges start to look set and the bubbling starts to subside. Butter the cutting edge of a round metal cookie cutter.
- Remove nougatine from the oven, and immediately use the cutter to cut circles in the hot candy. Be careful to not touch the hot candy, it will burn! You may need to use a knife to cut a clean edge. If needed, pop the pan back in the oven for a minute to reheat the nougatine so you can cut 12 circles out.
- Use a metal spatula or knife to pick up a cut piece of nougatine and place it over a mini tart mold. Repeat until all 6 of your molds are covered.
- Place them back in the oven for a minute or two to allow the candy to soften.
- Remove and press the back of a wooden spoon or a tart tamper into the center of each nougatine disc. The nougatine should be soft enough to sink down into the tart mold.
- Allow the cups to harden for 30-60 seconds then remove from mold and repeat the process creating a total of 12 nougatine cups.
White Chocolate Cherry Mousse-
Ingredients:
- Heat ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and white chocolate in microwave on high for 30 seconds.
- Stir, then heat another 30 seconds, let sit 2 minutes, then stir. If not melted heat for 15-second increments, stirring after each until melted. The chocolate should feel warm to the touch.
- Beat the remaining 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold in ⅓ of the cream into the warm chocolate.
- Fold in another ⅓rd, then fold in the final ⅓rd.
- Spoon or pipe into Cocoa Almond Nougatine cups.
- Top with a maraschino cherry.
These cups are quite festive and fun.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes from Hungry Happenings
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Peppermint Bark Dessert
Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with White Chocolate Mousse and Crushed Candy Canes
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Jenna Wood says
These look delicious, I love how easy the recipe is to follow with the animated GIF! #client
beth says
Thanks, Jenna. It was fun putting together the GIF.