Earlier last week I opened up my pantry to search for a mid-afternoon snack for myself while my toddler was napping. After rummaging through all of the half-empty bags of crackers and snacks that are for my daughter, I realized I was just going to have to get a little creative with the things that I had on hand if I wanted to eat anything. (I really wasn’t feeling a grocery store trip just yet, so getting creative was my best bet!)
I noticed a bag of animal crackers pushed to the back of the cabinet (because they were mostly busted up when I purchased them, unbeknownst to me…plus she randomly decided she doesn’t like them much anymore? Beats me!), so I took them out and opened them up. Since they were mostly broken up to the point that y daughter can’t enjoy them, I decided to bust them up a little further and keep them to make crusts and other desserts with. In the mean time, I had a serious chocolate hankering that needed to be satisfied.
I thought that the crushed up animal crackers would be a really nice topping on top of some homemade chocolate mousse, and I just so happened to have all of the ingredients needed to make it. Hooray!
Here’s a free printable copy of my simple and delicious chocolate mousse recipe. If animal crackers aren’t something you keep in your pantry, feel free to dress it up with any ol’ type of crushed cookie!
- ½ cup crushed animal crackers
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1¼ cup heavy whipping cream + ½ cup
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- Whipped cream + sprinkles for garnish
- In a small metal pot, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Place that pot inside a larger bot of simmering water (not quite boiling) and whisk egg mixture constantly until it has slightly thickened (About 7 or 8 minutes) *Make sure egg mixture reaches at least 160 degrees before removing from heat
- Pour chocolate chips in a small bowl and microwave in 20 second increments, stirring each time until smooth and creamy
- Add chocolate into egg mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside and allow to cool down to room temperature
- In a large bowl, whip 1¼ cup heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken
- Add in powdered sugar and continue to whip until it thickens to whipped-cream texture
- Pour in ½ of whipped cream mixture into chocolate mixture and stir. Then slowly add in the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream mixture and stir.
- Divide chocolate mousse into small cups or containers and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm
- Top with additional crushed animal crackers and whipped cream and serve
I added a few fun little Valentine’s Day sprinkles and served the mousse with a side of extra cookies on my new heart shaped plates. It made for a really fun (early) Valentine’s Day treat for my honey, and he absolutely loved it!
Are you a parent that finds yourself trying to get creative with all of the kiddie snacks you have lingering around your pantry? Maybe you have another fun way to use up animal crackers? Leave a comment below and share the love!
Looking for some other fun Valentine’s Day Treats? Check out these fabulous posts below!
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