Baileys Irish Cream & White Chocolate Mousse

I’m a huge sucker for Baileys. Hot chocolate, Baileys coffee, Baileys ice cubes… just Baileys! Every Christmas I receive a bottle of the good stuff without fail and I feel there’s something about the tantalising creamy taste that can bring a girl to her knees! 

I was tempted to bake a Baileys flavoured cake but instead  saw a similar recipe to this on Pinterest so decided to attempt my own selection of Baileys Irish Cream & White Chocolate Mousses.

In total, the mousse took around 30 minutes to make and a few hours to chill in the fridge afterwards. It would have taken less time if I didn’t have to stop half way to ask my neighbour for an electric whisk! To make just enough mixture for 4 large glasses, the ingredients I used were:

2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin (I used a vegetarian pack from Asda)
¼ cup of boiling water straight from the kettle
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of very cold water
5 sqaures of white chocolate
1 cup of cold heavy cream (Elmlea works wonders)
1 cup of Baileys
1 teaspoon. vanilla
½ cup sugar

1. Before you begin preparing your mousse, placing bowls and whisks in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.This will make the texture much easier to handle won’t turn runny!
2. To begin, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of gelatin into cold water in bowl; stir and let stand 1 minute to soften.
3. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. For extra precaution for a tasty mousse, place the gelatin in the freezer afterwards for a few minutes.
4. Stir together sugar and cocoa in cold mixing bowl; add the cup of heavy cream.
5. Beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form – gradually pour in 1 cup of Baileys, vanilla essence, and gelatin mixture, beating continuously at high speed until well-blended and soft peaks form.
6. Microwave white chocolate mixture for 30 seconds in microwave until melted and add to mixture.
7. Don’t rush this! I incorporated all the liquid gradually, (1/4 cup at a time) and scraped sides of bowl until mixed well.
8. Spoon mixture evenly into serving glasses or dishes and place in fridge to chill. (Again, I chilled the 4 glasses into the freezer beforehand for a faster setting mousse.)
9. Chill for up to 2 hours until ready to serve and add squirty cream, white chocolate and cocoa.

I found the mixture didn’t set straight away until chilled so this recipe requires a touch of patience. My recipes are about trial and error and adding a few squares of white chocolate into the recipe added that touch of sweetness. Also make sure to dissolve gelatin completely at the start so you’re not picking bits of gelatin out the mousse afterwards! What do you think of this recipe? Will you be trying this soon?