Hazelnut Protein Mousse
A proper whipped mousse - cream, Greek yogurt and hazelnut coffee - with 15g of protein per glass. Twenty minutes of work, two hours of waiting.
You'll Need
- Electric beaters or stand mixer
- Two mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
- 3 serving glasses
Ingredients
- ✓2 scoops Hazelnut Protein Coffee (one 40g serving)
- ✓3/4 cup heavy cream, very cold
- ✓1/2 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
- ✓2 tbsp maple syrup
- ✓1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ✓2 tbsp hot water
- ✓Chopped toasted hazelnuts, to finish
Instructions
- 1Whisk the two scoops of Hazelnut Protein Coffee and the cocoa with the 2 tablespoons of hot water into a smooth thick paste. Let it cool to room temperature - warm paste will deflate whipped cream on contact.
- 2Chill your bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cold equipment is most of what makes cream whip properly.
- 3Whip the cold cream to soft peaks - the point where a peak forms and then slowly folds over on itself. Stop there. Stiff peaks make a grainy mousse and it is one more turn of the beater away from butter.
- 4In the second bowl, stir the Greek yogurt, maple syrup and the cooled coffee paste together until completely smooth.
- 5Fold a third of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture to loosen it, working roughly - this one does not need to be gentle.
- 6Fold in the remaining cream in two additions, this time cutting down through the middle and lifting over, turning the bowl as you go. Stop the moment it is one colour. Every extra fold costs you air.
- 7Spoon into three glasses and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top with chopped toasted hazelnuts just before serving.
This is a dessert first and a protein recipe second, and I would rather say that plainly than pretend it is a health food. It is 335 calories a glass, most of that from cream, and it tastes like something you would be served at the end of a meal.
What it also does is carry 15g of protein instead of the 4 or 5g a classic mousse would, because Greek yogurt is replacing part of the cream and Hazelnut Protein Coffee is doing the flavouring that would otherwise come from chocolate and sugar.
Makes three generous glasses. It needs two hours in the fridge to set properly, so it is a make-ahead.
Nutrition Per Serving
| Serving size | 1 glass (1/3 of recipe) |
| Calories | 335 |
| Protein | 15g |
| Total carbohydrate | 16g |
| Total sugars | 12g |
| Added sugar | 9g |
| Total fat | 26g |
| Sodium | 70mg |
Why This Works
Soft peaks, not stiff, is the difference between mousse and something dense. At soft peak the fat globules have trapped air but the structure is still flexible enough to fold into a heavier base without collapsing. Whipped to stiff peaks, the cream is already at its limit and folding tears it, which is why over-whipped mousse comes out grainy and separates in the fridge.
Greek yogurt is doing structural work as well as adding protein. Its acidity firms the set slightly and its own thickness means the mousse holds without gelatine, which most protein mousse recipes fall back on.
The paste has to be genuinely cool before it meets the cream. Any warmth melts the fat that is holding the air, and the volume you just spent five minutes whipping in disappears in seconds. Fifteen minutes of patience here decides whether this works.
Tips From Our Kitchen
- Freeze the bowl and beaters for ten minutes. It genuinely changes how the cream whips.
- Soft peaks. Stop earlier than feels right - it firms further in the fridge.
- Cool the coffee paste completely. Warm paste is the number one cause of a flat mousse.
- Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for three minutes. Raw hazelnuts on top taste of very little.
- Assemble in clear glasses. It is a good-looking dessert and worth showing.
Swaps & Variations
- Lighter: replace half the cream with more Greek yogurt. Around 260 calories a glass, denser texture.
- Dairy-free: chilled coconut cream whips well, with coconut yogurt in place of Greek.
- Less sweet: cut the maple to 1 tbsp. The powder and cocoa are both unsweetened, so it will read quite bitter - which some people prefer.
- No cocoa: leave it out for a pure hazelnut coffee mousse.
- Boozy: 1 tbsp of Frangelico stirred into the paste.
Common Questions
Why did my mousse come out flat?
Almost always the coffee paste was still warm when it met the whipped cream, which melts the fat holding the air. Let the paste cool to room temperature first. Over-folding is the second cause.
Does it need gelatine?
No. The whole-milk Greek yogurt firms the set enough on its own, provided you give it two hours in the fridge.
How much protein is in each glass?
15g, against roughly 4g in a classic chocolate mousse of the same size.
How long does it keep?
Two days covered in the fridge. It will weep slightly on day three. Do not freeze it.
Why is my mousse grainy?
The cream went past soft peaks. Once the fat structure is at its limit, folding tears it and the texture never recovers.
Hazelnut Protein Coffee
Warm, nutty, and not sweet. Toasted hazelnut against real arabica, with 22g of grass-fed whey protein and 4.5g of BCAAs to support muscle recovery and keep you full, plus organic adaptogens and a pre and probiotic ble...
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