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September 17, 2012

Chocolate Mousse (no added sugar)

Chocolate Mousse

One of my recent kitchen adventures turned simplicity into pure decadence. If you're not new to my blog, you already know how much I love the combination of chocolate and coconut. With this new experiment I wanted to replace sugar/agave nectar and make a healthier chocolate ice cream without compromising on taste.

I had successfully used homemade date paste before in several recipes, so I knew this would work great in this dessert, but I could not anticipate just how light and creamy it would turn out. Instead of the soft serve ice cream I had in mind, I created a luscious chocolate mousse. It was in fact so good that I didn't want to risk spoiling the texture and taste by freezing it. While sugar and agave nectar only add sweetness, dates also add a delicate fruity flavour that makes this chocolate mousse even more delicious.

Chocolate Mousse

With a smooth, airy, mouth-coating texture, delicate sweetness, wonderfully balanced combination of flavours and long-lasting aftertaste, this is a rich, sensual treat that you will wish to enjoy all alone, taking your time to relish each spoonful and imagining being on a tropical island relaxing in the sun.

The magic doesn't stop here though, you can easily add your personal touch to this easy chocolate mousse. A few ideas include: more cocoa for those dark chocolate fans, a pinch of cinnamon and/or cayenne for a Mexican twist, a few drops of peppermint extract or fresh mint for a refreshing taste, finely chopped pineapple for a full-on tropical flavour (or combined with rum, for a daring chocolate piña colada mousse), orange zest or extract for a little tang, chocolate chips or chopped nuts for crunch, coffee, Kahlúa, raspberries, or anything else that takes your fancy. This recipe is versatile and exciting variations can easily be made.

If you're fortunate to own a very powerful blender, you could turn this into a fully raw dessert by making pure coconut cream and using raw cacao powder.

Chocolate Mousse
  • 1 can (400 ml) creamy coconut milk (silky smooth texture, high fat content - see update)
  • 5 Tb (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (tightly packed) soft dried dates (18 in this case)
  • a few drops of vanilla extract

  • 4 small ramekins, glasses or cups to serve

Note: This recipe yields 2 cups of mousse. 1 measuring cup = 250 ml.

Update: A few readers were confused about the difference between coconut milk and creamy coconut milk. Coconut milk generally refers to the thin, pourable milk that can be used with cereal, in crêpe/pancake batter, soups, smoothies etc. It has a low fat content and is available in carton (the canned type is only used in cooking). Coconut cream, or creamy coconut milk is the thick, rich, paste-like milk with a higher fat content (or full-fat if no water is added). It is used in curries, sauces, desserts, whipped cream etc. When left to set in the fridge the coconut cream solidifies and separates at the top of the can, leaving a clear liquid at the bottom. Both types are made from fresh, shredded coconut meat. The more water added to it, the less fat content. For this recipe to be successful you need a high ratio of coconut to water content. Some labels will list only the percentage of coconut extract, others will also show the fat content in the nutrition information section. You need at least 70% coconut extract for this to work - if it solidifies, it's good. Not all brands are silky smooth, and that's what you need here. Also, many brands add other ingredients to either thicken it further or to increase shelf life. If you have access to fresh coconut meat you can make your own full-fat coconut cream (and milk by adding water to thin it). Another product that can create confusion is creamed coconut which is dehydrated ground coconut meat. It is sold in the form of a hard white block. It can be mixed with water and strained to make coconut milk or cream, but I find the texture and strong taste unsuitable for a dessert (I sometimes use it in thick curries).


Refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight to solidify and separate. Carefully turn it upside down, open and discard the transparent liquid (or reserve it to add in a smoothie or curry).

Pit and halve the dates (if they are not soft, place them for a few minutes in warm water until they start to soften, then drain and chop). Place them in a tall jug, add 2 rounded Tb coconut milk and blend with a stick blender on high.

If you don't mind those tiny bits of date skin, you can just add the remaining coconut milk and cocoa powder and blend together until smooth, then finally add the vanilla (or your preferred flavouring). That's what I did the first time I made it. The second time I wanted a smoother texture, so I strained the paste, then mixed in the rest.

Coconut Date Paste

You need a large strainer with very small holes to trap those bits of date skin. In my case, I had a small one, so I first mixed the date paste with only half of the coconut milk, strained, then added the rest, just to make my job faster.

Coconut Date Paste

Even before adding cocoa, the date-coconut paste is incredibly delicious. Try it;)

Chocolate Mousse

You can also whisk or make this in a food processor or even in the chopper from a hand blender set, that will help to trap air inside the paste and make it lighter and even more mousse-like.

Chocolate Mousse

Taste and adjust the flavouring, if needed. Divide the mousse between the 4 ramekins and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Chocolate Mousse

I kept one in the fridge overnight and the mousse tasted more chocolatey and there wasn't a dramatic change in texture.

Chocolate Mousse

As the chocolate mousse is naturally sweet, it is a better dessert option for kids. Aside from that, the dates considerably increase the nutritional value of this dessert. Please see my notes on Raw Brownies for more information about the health benefits of dried dates.

I would love to know your flavouring preferences for this delicious treat, so please get in touch by leaving a comment below.

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)


If you've tried this dessert I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

282 comments:

  1. This looks extremely yummy :D Chocolate and dates wins me over everytime!

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  2. Hey Ally, thanks so much for the comment, I'm really glad you like the mousse. I've just been over to your site, that raw seduction chocolate pudding looks amazing! Again, dates and chocolate:)

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  3. Hey neat recipe, I always like recipes with few ingredients. But I have a question, is there anyway to make it fat free or sub the coconut with less fatty ingredient.

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  4. Hi Madhulika, bananas are creamy and work well too. A combination of bananas and avocado would also make it less fat. And if you want to get more daring, butternut squash or pumpkin puree. Thank you so much for stopping by, glad you like the mousse:)

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  5. Bananas would leave their flavor on it right? Frankly am not too fond of banana flavored anything. Pumpkin sounds awesome but does the pumpkin puree make the mousse as creamy as the one you made with coconut?

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  6. Bananas and avocado would bring the texture close to the coconut one, but you don't like bananas and avocado alone would add fat, which you're trying to avoid. Pumpkin and butternut squash would make a difference in texture, but I think that's a small compromise in exchange for a great taste. In that case cinnamon would work better than vanilla.

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  7. PS Butternut squash and pumpkin puree don't solidify as creamy coconut milk does, so you might want to add small amounts at a time until you get a thick paste.

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  8. Ok thanks for the quick reply :) Will keep your suggestions in mind.

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  9. What can be better than chocolate mousse? Only guilt-free healthy chocolate mousse :-). And it's such a brilliant idea to use date paste! No wonder this recipe was a hit on RecipeNewZ. So now it is featured on our hall of fame Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RecipeNewZ Congrats!

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  10. WOW I didn't expect this simple recipe to become so popular. Thank you Recipe Newz for publishing my pictures! It's an honour to be featured on your hall of fame:)

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  11. Thank you for this recipe. It was unbelievably yummy! My 2-year-old believed it was chocolate ice cream and loved it. Haha

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  12. That's fantastic!:) I'm so glad the mousse was successful, especially with the kid:) Thank you very much for the feedback, I appreciate it.

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  13. Do you know the nutrients of this? ie, calories, protein, carbs Etc?

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  14. @Anonymous: Hello and thank you for getting in touch. I'm very rarely interested in calories and carbs. I haven't calculated the nutrients in this dessert because it's not something I eat often and one serving is 1/4 of what the recipe makes, so that really isn't much. However, with raw foods especially, I am interested in the mineral, vitamin and fiber content, and for that I use nutritiondata.self.com, wikipedia.org and sometimes wisegeek.com to get an idea about these nutrients in the food I make. I have already provided a link to my other post, Raw Brownies, where I gave plenty of details about the benefits of dried dates. I hope this helps. Thank you for stopping by.

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  15. I'm very excited to try this! I did see someone ask about nutritional value. I keep track of my calories and fat intake, cause I've lost a lot of weight. Maybe they could try this site http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

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  16. Is there a potential replacement for the dates? Just curious. Thanks! :)

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  17. Hello!thanks so much for this awesome dessert. I have just made it and I doubt it will get to dinner. However, it looks more like icing than mousse. How can I make it thicker? I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Regards, Rebeca

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  18. @Margot: Thank you so much for the suggestion, I hope it will help those interested. Looking forward to your feedback once you try the recipe:) Enjoy!

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  19. @Anonymous: Yes, you could use prunes or seedless raisins. Dried figs might work as well, never tried them though. Thank you for asking:)

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  20. @Rebeca: Thank you for the feedback, I'm so happy you like how it came out. As for the icing texture, I guess the ingredients do make a difference, for example if the dates are too soft the *cream* would become much thinner. Even when I finished blending it the texture was that of a thick icing, only it tasted too rich for that. Chilling it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight helps the coconut milk solidify and give it that mousse texture. If you haven't already kept it in the fridge, do that and you will see the difference. For a quick solution, if you have coconut milk powder you can add some to thicken it. For future, try adding less coconut cream or milk and add it gradually until you get that thick consistency and then leave it in the fridge for some time. That should do the trick.

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  21. I made this with my 5yo the other day - easy & Yummo!!!
    We used raw cacao powder & medjool dates.
    It was so decadent we had tiny servings.
    Thanks for the recipe!

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  22. You're most welcome, Talina:) It gives me great pleasure to know that you both enjoyed the mousse, I love to make kid-friendly treats:) Raw cacao sounds a lot better for this dessert, I look forward to trying it myself. Your feedback is very much appreciated, thank you!

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  23. Could you use chopped dates (like purchased from a bulk bin) instead of whole dates? Just thinking of saving a bit of time and not having to pit the dates. BTW - this recipe sounds wonderful!

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  24. @Anonymous: Thank you so much, I hope you'll enjoy the mousse, it's really good:) Sure, you can use chopped dates, but they'll be quite dry so you need to rehydrate them before using, otherwise you won't get that smooth consistency. Just put them in a bowl with some water for half an hour or so until they become soft, then drain and blend. The date paste might come out a little runny in this case. I look forward to your feedback after trying it:)

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  25. This looks delicious and I have pinned it. Thanks for sharing this wonderful dessert.

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  26. Thank you kindly for your comment and support, Radhika:) I hope you'll give this mousse a try sometime, it's delicious:)

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  27. I just made this mousse. AMAZING! I would never think it's raw - it's so rich, one of the best chocolate mousses I've had! And that fruity flavor is wonderful! My main complaint is straining the date pulp - I found it quite strenuous ;-). Maybe I don't know how to stain efficiently. But it was so good that still well worth the effort.
    Thank you so much for the brilliant recipe!

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  28. Cooking Rookie, this is just fantastic! Thank you so much for the feedback...and the laugh;) Straining date paste can be a bit of a headache, of course you can skip this step, but now you know it's worth it:) I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the mousse so much. Now you can play around with the recipe, spice it up, or sprinkle some chopped nuts, top it with some light coconut whipped cream, whatever takes your fancy:) Many thanks for the comment, much appreciated.

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  29. I made this last night. It was AMAZING. So rich and wonderful. Definitely making this again.

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  30. That's fantastic, Paula! Thank you so much for giving it a try and for the feedback, I appreciate it:)

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  31. Every Thanksgiving I make a pudding pie and my vegan sister pouts, missing one of her favorites. Boy is she going to be surprised this year when I bring out a pudding pie made with this filling. I cannot wait to see her reaction!

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  32. I've never made a pudding pie, but from what I've just seen online it's basically crust, pudding and whipped cream, in which case the whole pie can easily be made vegan and your sister will be surprised beyond words:) I've made vegan pie crust and coconut whipped cream before, they came out perfect (you can find both on the blog). The mousse would work great in the pie, I really love your creativity:) Thank you so much for the comment! Enjoy Thanksgiving and the dessert:)

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  33. Thanks for this, I can't wait to try it. For those calorie counters, you can use 1 tub soft silken tofu (blended) with 2 bananas as substitutes for texture and sweetness. I love the coconut/date mix though!

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  34. My pleasure:) I'm glad you like it and hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you very much for the comment and suggestion:)

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  35. Oh, FINALLY, a Paleo mousse recipe that doesn't use avocado (yuck!) or Stevia (also yuck).

    I don't have a stick blender, but I do have a Vitamix, so I think this recipe will be a snap to put together.

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  36. Madeleine, I'm very happy to know this mousse matches your preferences:) Dates work so well here, they're my favourite sweetener. I really hope you enjoy this dessert. Thank you for getting in touch:)

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  37. I can't eat dates could you use any other fruit?

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  38. Hello, Rachel! Thank you for asking. Yes, you can use soft prunes instead. The taste will be slightly different and the mousse darker, but still very delicious:) I hope you enjoy it. I used prune paste in the No-bake blackberry tart, it worked really well. Thank you very much for stopping by.

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  39. Can't wait to try this!

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  40. Sounds like a plan:) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for stopping by:)

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  41. This looks so amazing! I can't wait to try it!

    I do not have a stick blender or a food processor or anything. I only have a regular, run of the mill blender (not fancy or anything). Will that work, or no?

    Also, you've said prunes will work instead of dates, but does that make it taste too "pruney" at all? What exactly does it do to the taste?

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  42. @Anonymous: Hi, thank you so much for checking out the recipe. I'm really glad you like the mousse and want to give it a try. When I started using date paste in desserts I only had a small, cheap, low-power (300 W) blender, in fact it was the chopper from a hand blender set. I still have it and it works just fine. To this day that is the most durable blender I have had. I was able to blend dates without adding coconut milk, water or anything else. All I did was to chop the dates, run the blender for a few seconds, then scrape down the sides cos it was very sticky and would form a ball, then repeat until I had a nice smooth paste. So yeah, your blender should work fine, just make sure the dates are soft and that you add coconut milk as explained in the recipe.

    As for prunes as sweetener, well, there's a lot of coconut and cocoa in this mousse, the difference in taste won't be much. I have't used prune paste in this dessert in particular, but I have used it in the blackberry tart and in smoothies and didn't notice much difference (you can see a picture of the prune paste in the blackberry tart post). But in the end I guess it's a matter of taste and preference. I hope you enjoy the mousse and look forward to your feedback.

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  43. Any suggestions on how to make this using natural cane sugar in place of the dates? This would make it more cost-effective & convenient for me.

    `~Ashley

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  44. Hello, Ashley and thank you for asking. From my experience with coconut cream and sugar I think this mousse would only be like a light chocolate cream (or whipped cream, if we consider that the most popular vegan whipped cream is made with full fat coconut milk and sugar). The date paste here is more than just a sweetener, it also keeps the mousse thick and creamy. That doesn't mean the sugar version wouldn't be good. Just start by mixing the coconut cream with a little sugar, when completely melted taste and add more if needed. Add the cocoa powder and taste again. To achieve a thicker consistency, you could replace cocoa powder with melted chocolate (without agave nectar), as I did in the No-churn Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream. I wish I could give you the right amounts, but I'd have to experiment with this first. Looking on the bright side, mixing coconut cream, sugar, cocoa and flavouring can only result in something delicious:) I hope whatever you try turns out great:)

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  45. This dessert is AMAZING! I have been using the coconut cream they now carry at Trader Joes and you don't have to refrigerate it, you just turn the can upside down and pour out the water leaving the cream. My husband, who is a huge dessert person LOVES this and requests it weekly if not more. Thank you!

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  46. I made your recipe again. This time I pre-peeled the dates to avoid straining. It made it a little easier for me, probably psychologically because I hate straining so much :-). I also served the mousse with whipped cream this time - yummmm! And I posted the recipe on my blog and linked back to you. Thank you once again for this brilliant recipe and Happy New Year!

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  47. @agellerstein: That is fantastic news! I'm so happy that you both enjoyed the mousse. On a few occasions I found that the same coconut cream I used here was already solidified and didn't need chilling, other times I tried different brands, some even with a higher fat content, but they had this strange grainy texture, so I stuck with the brand that I knew would work:) It's great that you found one that makes this recipe less time-consuming. Thank you very much for letting me know how the mousse turned out:)

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  48. @Cooking Rookie: I've just been over to your blog and seen the picture, it looks soooo good! Now I'm craving chocolate mousse with coconut whipped cream:)) Thank you so much for the link back and for spreading the magic:)

    I was making another date dessert recently and wanted to skip the straining part, so I peeled the dates. I found that quite therapeutic and although the time difference between the two methods isn't that much, it does feel less time-consuming than straining. I now got some dates that are so soft they don't need peeling at all:)

    Thank you for making my day with your wonderful comment. Happy New Year and happy cooking!:)

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  49. I just saw your photo on Recipe Newz and had to stop by. The recipe sounds scrumptious and love that it is vegan. Thanks for sharing & can't wait to give it a try.

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  50. This looks delish--I'm going to try it soon!

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  51. Cat & Spicie Foodie, thank you so much for stopping by. I'm very happy you like the mousse and look forward to your feedback whenever you try it:)

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  52. I made this using light coconut milk rather than the solid coconut cream as that was what was in the cupboard, it still worked beautifully and tasted divine although the texture was better after chilling overnight because the lower fat content makes it thicken slower.
    Thanks for the great recipe, already written out into my best recipies book :)
    Emily

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  53. Emily, thank you so much for sharing your experience:) I'm very happy to know the lighter version turned out great. Indeed, after chilling overnight the mousse is much better. I hope you find more inspiring recipes on my blog. Have a lovely day:)

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  54. Thank you for sharing a sugar free recipe that doesn't include those toxic artificial sweeteners. I always get wary whenever I see a "sugar free" recipe and was pleasantly surprised when I saw the ingredients in this one. Love it!

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  55. Linda, thank you for checking it out, I'm very happy you like the recipe. I love the natural sweetness of dates and the added fruity flavour and health benefits, so I'm always thinking of new ways to replace sugar in desserts. I hope you'll try the mousse sometime, it is so delicious:)

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  56. I would like to see calorie, fat, and sugar content?

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  57. @Anonymous: I'm not really concerned with these facts, especially when it comes to an occasional treat. I'm more interested in vitamin/mineral/omegas/fiber/protein content and for that I refer to nutritiondata.self.com and wikipedia. There's also cronometer.com. Margot (comment #16) suggested another site and Cooking Rookie (comment #47) posted the calorie count. I hope this helps. Thank you for asking.

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  58. Drooling! Looks fabulous!!!!! Can't wait to try this.

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  59. Thank you, Liz A.:) Enjoy!

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  60. Hi, I saw this on Pinterest and it looks great! I'm not very familiar with coconut cream--does it have any added sugar?

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  61. Thank you, Laura:) Creamy coconut milk doesn't have sugar added. I've used several brands and none of them was sweetened. Have a look at the pictures in the Coconut Chocolate Ice Cream post. Thank you for stopping by:)

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  62. This recipe is AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  63. Ok I just made this... the coconut milk I had didn't separate but thickened up a bit... anyway, it was unbelievably good... thank you so much.

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  64. @Anonymous: Thank you very much for the feedback, I'm happy you enjoyed it:)

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  65. Do u know how many grams of carbs per serving?

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  66. @Anonymous: Please see comment #58. Thank you for stopping by.

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  67. looks fab going have to try it very soon thanks

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  68. My pleasure:) I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by.

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  69. I made this tonight and it is heavenly! I did not strain it, but I did run the immersion blender for a minute or two longer than I would've thought necessary. It turned out creamy and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

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  70. Thank you very much for the feedback, Maureen:) I'm really happy you enjoyed the mousse. My blender isn't powerful enough to break down the date skins, but I still like the unstrained version more:)

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  71. Just added up the nutriton for those who asked (and for me who was curious!) - 282 calories, 21 grams of sugar, 19 grams of fat. I used Sunsweet pitted dates, Hershey Cocoa, and Whole Foods 365 Coconut Milk. Super yummy, but now it's off to the gym....

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  72. Amanda, thank you so much for taking the time to calculate and share this information, I appreciate it:)

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  73. Will have to try this since I now have an allergy/SEVERE intolerance to gelatin.

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  74. I'm happy you found this recipe, so that you can still enjoy a great mousse:) Thank you so much for visiting:)

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  75. I can't wait to try this recipe! Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite deserts, if not my favorite! I have 7 days left of a de-tox I am doing, I will be making this the day I'm done!

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  76. I'm happy you like the mousse, Lindsay, and hope it meets your expectations:) It surely exceeded mine;) Enjoy the detox and thank you so much for writing!

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  77. I feel like I'm the only person who didn't like this. I loved the flavor but couldn't get past the grainy texture. I even removed the date skin before using them but the date paste itself (even with straining) did not lend itself to a smooth product. It's too bad because the flavor was great (though on the sweet side for my taste.)

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  78. Andie, thank you so much for sharing your experience:) I guess it's a matter of preference and the end result also depends on the type of dates used. The ones I had weren't the softest, and although the texture wasn't perfectly smooth, I loved it:) If you've tried store-bought date paste, that is smooth indeed. I guess the power blenders we use at home are just not as powerful. Coconut cream itself adds density, so the mousse isn't quite as light as a regular one (not the same goes for coconut whipped cream), but for me the trade off was getting the health benefits of dates aside from their natural sweetness. Have you tried my no-churn coconut chocolate ice cream (minus the freezing)? That's a smooth texture (no dates though). Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it.

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  79. This is Anonymous from December 16, 2012. Just wanted to let people know how the recipe went (good!).

    I tried making this with only a blender, and I used prunes instead of dates (I cannot find good dates where I live - very, very dry and not tasty).

    It took some coaxing to get the prunes and coconut cream to mix in the blender, but if you baby it a bit it will eventually mix really well.

    I strained the extra skin, but I don't think it needed it. There wasn't much at all(there might be more if I used dates). I probably won't do that again.

    There was a bit of a prune taste, but it was more of a tartness. It wasn't bad - I just told people it was a chocolate dessert with some fruit in it and even the non-vegans loved it.

    The texture was great! Thick and creamy, very satisfying.

    I also did not separate out the liquid from the coconut milk. There was very little and so I just used it. The texture did not suffer at all.

    I left a couple in fridge overnight and they were still very good. Not a problem at all.

    It was a really good recipe and surprisingly easy. I will definitely use this again!

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  80. Anonymous: with not just one, but two successful stories, this day couldn't get any better:) I am truly grateful that you took the time to share your experience. It's great that you managed to blend the prunes into a smooth paste. I have yet to try them in this mousse, but your success is just what I needed for that. So thank you for making this recipe and I hope you find more inspiring ones on my blog:) Have a lovely day!

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  81. Can you tell me a little more about the "creamy coconut milk"? I couldn't find any coconut milk that said "creamy, do you mean Coconut Cream which is found in the alcoholic drink section, or coconut milk found in the asian food section? I tried one can of coconut milk, but it never separated, and so the next time I was at the store I shook every different brand and bought the one that felt more solid. It was already separated, but the texture was very grainy and more like coconut oil than anything else, it doesn't resemble what you have here in the pictures. I ended up using that and it does taste AMAZING, but I would love to find something that is a bit smoother. Any advice?

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  82. I just lightly dry sautée my dates and chill 'n peel em whilst watching tv before blending for my batches of date paste = no need to strain...but never thought to use it for chocolate mousse...my favourite dessert in the whole culinary world. 1000xthankyou. Love, Hum.

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  83. Hum, it seems that you found a good way to avoid straining:) I'm so happy you enjoyed the mousse, it's an excellent way to get the sweetness plus the health benefits without compromising on the taste:) Many thanks for the feedback!

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  84. Miriam, creamy coconut milk is the one with a high fat content, not the carton type we pour over cereal. This one is canned and most labels mention the fat content. It is indeed found in the Asian food section. I too had your bad luck when I bought a more expensive Thai brand of coconut milk, it did separate but the texture was grainy. I guess you have to try another brand. See if you can find the full fat Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk (not the lite version), that's the most popular brand used to make coconut whipped cream. You could also order it online. I hope you find the right one to fully enjoy the mousse;) Thank you for your enquiry.

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  85. Can you use cacao instead of cocoa?

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  86. Anonymous: Yes, of course. Even better if you have cacao powder:)

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  87. How can you call this healthy? Coconut milk that is mostly fat, and dates which are mostly sugar are not healthy. Some people seem to think that sugar from fruit is healthy, but sugar is sugar. Coconut oil is extremely unhealthy. Do your research! One cup of coconut milk has 552 calories, 479 from fat. Just 24 grams of dates have 66 calories, and 16 grams of sugar.
    I've just noticed that you will moderate this, so I don't expect to see it posted.

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  88. Delish, thanks for sharing. Couldn't wait to chill. BF LOVED IT TOO! Peggy

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  89. Dear Siqiniq, it is sad that you would make an assumption about me since you clearly don't know me. Moderation is enabled in order to prevent spam and rude comments (like many food bloggers I've had my share of both), and NOT to help me "filter" the comments and select only the positive ones (if you read the comments on various posts you will have your proof of that).

    To start with, there is no coconut oil mentioned in this recipe. And if there were, I would have nothing against it, quite the contrary. Coconut oil (and I'm talking here about pure oil) is not a creation of the modern world, it's been used both as food and medicine, internally and externally, for thousands of years. Not only did I do my research, but I did more than that: I actually tested the theories I found more likely to be true. I've been using coconut milk and oil in food preparation for years and haven't noticed any negative effect. I've already written about some of the benefits of coconut oil in this post http://vegan-magic.blogspot.com/2012/05/coconut-hazelnut-balls.html.

    I'm gonna disagree with you regarding coconut milk. It is not mostly fat. I'm guessing you checked nutritiondata.self.com, that's where I found the values you shared. On the same website, 1 cup (240 g) coconut milk contains only 57 g fat, that's almost 1/4 - definitely not "mostly" in my book. As I wrote in several comments above, I am not concerned with calories, rather with nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Chocolate mousse is not a staple in my diet, it's an occasional treat and eaten in reasonable amounts it's perfectly fine. Plus I don't know anyone who'd enjoy peeling dates or straining date paste every day. That being said, here's what I am interested in when it comes to coconut milk, for the same 1 cup measurement: 21% fiber, 11% vitamin C, 22% iron, ZERO cholesterol, 10% folate, lots more minerals in the range of 20-30%. I see from your posts that you're not vegan. Many non-vegan chocolate mousse recipes call for butter, eggs (raw!)and double cream. Let's see butter: loaded with cholesterol, zero fiber, zero protein, zero iron, poor mineral and vitamin profile, plus many brands are hydrogenated. Double cream: loaded with cholesterol, zero fiber, poor vitamin and mineral profile overall. Eggs: 1 large egg provides 70% cholesterol, zero fiber, 5% iron, poor vitamin and mineral profile overall.

    Cocoa powder: 1 ounce (28 g): 37% fiber, 22% iron, poor vitamin profile, but impressive on the minerals with some between 20-30%, while others over 50%, ZERO cholesterol.

    The main reason for calling this mousse "healthy" was right there in the first paragraph: to replace sugar/agave nectar. It's true, the body treats sugar the same way regardless of its origin. However that statement is incomplete. Sugar, be it white, brown, refined, unrefined, liquid or solid, provides, aside from calories, zero nutrition (aka empty calorie food - exception natural brown sugar which has a certain mineral content from molasses). Fruit however does not have the sugar extracted from it. That sugar comes with the health benefits of fiber. I trust you know the importance of fiber for digestion and generally for health, and simple sugars and animal products have zero. Simple sugars reach the bloodstream immediately, causing a rise in blood sugar levels. Fiber prevents that from happening and helps release sugar at a slow rate. 1 date alone provides 6% fiber. I've written about the health benefits of dates in the link provided at the end of the post.

    I hope I've given you a different perspective over this dessert. Thank you for writing.

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    1. Thank you for clarifying this! I can't stand the blind assumptions that non-vegans make and the open hostility that is often shown towards vegans. Veganism is love. I can't wait to try this recipe. I've never had mouse before. It looks delectable. :)

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  90. Peggy, that's wonderful news! I'm very happy both of you enjoyed the mousse. Thank you so much for the feedback and for giving it a try:)

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  91. I was wondering if anyone has tried this with raisins?
    I'm highly alergic to both dates and prunes, but would love to try it since it's butter free.
    I'm not opposed to using sugar, but am affraid I won't get the right texture.

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    1. I haven't tried this recipe with them but another substituting dates for moist Turkish apricots, worked well purreed similar in texture to the dates

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  92. Nika, raisins would work great too here. I'd go for the jumbo flame raisins, but you can of course use any variety you like. Just check that the raisins are soft, so they can blend easily. Do let me know how the mousse turns out if you decide to try it with raisins. Thank you for writing:)

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  93. I plan to try this because I am diabetic and I think I might add almond extract. Thanks

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  94. I tried this mousse today and it was great.it pleased everyone. i am not usually a fan of mousse but i really enjoyed it, although my serve was much smaller as it is very rich. My husband loves mousse and he loved this version and all the children thought it was excellent. Even my mum dad and sister who are not health food eaters enjoyed it, and they are not easily pleased.

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  95. Made this tonight & my daughter's friend who had never had or seen dates & screwed her nose up at them enjoyed the mousse, she even licked the mixer. My youngest daughter is allergic to raw eggs & dairy so I love that she can enjoy chocolate mousse!

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  96. Anonymous, I greatly hope you enjoy the mousse:) Almond flavour sounds great too. Thank you so much for writing:)

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  97. Jess, that's fantastic news:) I'm thrilled that everyone liked the mousse and hope you find more inspiring recipes on my blog to surprise them with;) Thanks so much for the feedback!

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  98. StakiMama, thank you so much for the comments, I had a good laugh reading about your daughter's friend:) Dates are surprisingly delicious, in spite of their appearance. I'm really glad your youngest can still enjoy great desserts, there's more on my blog that you could make for her.

    Turkish apricots sound like a great substitute for dates or raisins, there are a few Turkish supermarkets nearby, I'll see if they have any. Thank you for the suggestion! Wish you and your family a lovely weekend:)

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  99. Hi there! I made this for a friend's birthday (she has given up refined sugar for Lent). Is it horrible of me to say that I actually saved a portion of it for myself? This is a delicious and super easy recipe!!

    I ended up snagging a can of Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk. Using just the cream (as per your instructions) made mixing it a little hard. I drizzled in about 3/4 teaspoon of the liquid portion of the milk to help smooth the mixing process. I also have no immersion blender, so I mixed half of the cream with the softened dates in my mini hand chopper and then whipped the rest of the stuff together with my hand mixer. I find myself enjoying the small bits of dates here and there in the mousse.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!

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  100. Isn't your friend lucky to have you?:) I'm so happy the "chunky" mousse turned out great. When I started using date paste in desserts I only had a low-power hand blender and was using the chopper. It did a great job, I still have it. Thank you so much for sharing your experience:)

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  101. Love this recipe! I'm just wondering how many bananas you would recommend? Thanks!

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  102. I'm glad you like it and thank you for your enquiry. That's a good question. If I wanted to completely replace coconut cream with bananas, I'd probably start with 3 ripe ones. Blend one with the dates, add the others later, then the cocoa powder and check the consistency. I'd either eat it straight away or chilled, but definitely wouldn't keep it in the fridge overnight, as it wouldn't set like the coconut version does. If you're planning to make it with bananas, please let me know how it comes out.

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  103. Thank you again for another amazing recipe, this is incredibly smooth and delicious, and best of all healthy! I was considering using your straining method to get the mousse smoother, but got a near flawless result using my stick blender in a deep stainless steel bowl, so I didn't need too:) I also try to include skins of fruit when I can for nutritional reason, as fruit skins often are high in antioxydants and phyto-nutrients that work synergisticly with the fruit meat. Thank's a million, it won't be long to I make this again!

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  104. Azita, I'm so happy this worked out for you without the need to strain the date paste:) Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm very interested in no-sugar desserts and already have a few recipes in mind I'd like to try, hopefully you'll enjoy them too:)

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  105. Thank you for your wonderful recipe! I've seen one similar to this, but was so excited to see you used dates. Made this last night and I'm sure I will be making again soon. It was perfect for my husband who does better without dairy.

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  106. Michelle, that's fantastic news! I'm so happy both of you enjoyed this dessert:) Many thanks for the feedback:)

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  107. If the recipes are anywhere as good as this one, I am looking forward to you post them, thank's again :):):)

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  108. How low carb are these? I find anything that requires dates will NOT be low carb.

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  109. SwampCatNana, I guess the low/high carb value also depends on everything else one eats throughout the day. If I have 1 serving of this dessert, fresh juices and salads, most probably I won't reach my dairy carb requirement. Let's see, the carb RDI is roughly 300 grams. 1 cup dates is about 200 g, providing 150 grams carbs, so that's 50% RDI for the total recipe which makes 4 servings, so 1 serving would be 37.5 grams = 12.5% daily requirement. Coconut cream and cocoa powder provide a very small amount of carbs, so even if we rounded this to 15% per serving it would still be great. You can enjoy this dessert and still have plenty of room for 85% carbs in a day. Adding to that the health benefits, I'd choose this dessert over a regular sugar-based dessert any time:) What do you think?

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  110. Can you use date paste?

    Also, I love the flavor of chocolate and banana together and chocolate and almond is also one of my favorites!!!

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  111. You can definitely use date paste, but you will need to thin it with some coconut milk or even the remaining liquid from the can (or almond milk). I love those combinations too:) Thank you so much for writing, I hope you enjoy the mousse when/if you make it:)

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  112. With just a slight alteration of proportion and execution I made this recipe and used it as a whoopie pie filling. It is creamy and decadent but very light. We all loved it.

    I've blogged it and linked to your recipe.

    Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!

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  113. Chacha, it's such a great idea using the mousse as filling for whoppie pies:) I once made chocolate whoopie pies, but used a vegan cream cheese filling. The mousse suddenly sounds like a better option;) Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I'm very happy you enjoyed it. It was very kind of you to link back to my page, thank you!

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  114. Hmm, after reading some of the comments, I see some people were talking about bananas. Do you think a super ripe banana (or two or three) in place of the Dates would work? I have turned frozen banana slices into ice cream before using my blender and it is as creamy as can be. Maybe bananas (maybe even frozen ones) could work as far as thickening up the mousse and adding some sweetness. What do you think? Your Mousse looks SUPER delicious by the way. Found you on Pinterest!

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  115. I do think bananas would work great here, though not quite in the same way, considering dates make a thicker, stickier paste. If using frozen bananas, there would be no more need for chilling the mousse and this could easily turn into a sugar-free ice cream (I've tried banana ice cream before, there's a separate post for it). I'm going to make this recipe with bananas at some point, but without experimenting first I couldn't say exactly how many bananas would be enough for both sweetness and creaminess. Thank you so much for writing:)

    PS I totally love the pin image on your blog banner:)

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  116. I live in a town with a pretty basic grocery store...so bought what I saw for coconut cream in the alcohol mixers aisle. I should have read through your original post and the comments more carefully before I went shopping, as the coconut cream I purchased has lots of added sugar. What I made (in a regular blender) with the coconut cream, whole pitted dates, cocoa powder and vanilla turned out really smooth, tasty and REAL SWEET! I may try some of the other variations mentioned in the comments...or, at the very least, try to find some coconut cream/milk without added sugar.

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  117. It sounds like you had quite the adventure with the extra sweetened mousse:) I hope you can find unsweetened creamy coconut milk so you can enjoy more of this dessert. Thank you so much for letting me know how it all went, I'm really glad it turned out smooth and (extremely) delicious:)

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  118. I'm the person who inadvertently made a too-sweet batch with coconut cream that had lots of added sugar in it. I've been wondering how to cut the sweetness...today I mixed some of the mousse in with natural peanut butter (no sugar) and it was GREAT!

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  119. Hello again:) Well, you can either look for unsweetened coconut cream or reduce the amount of date paste. Peanut butter surely takes this mousse to a whole new level of decadence:) Thank you so much for the suggestion!

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  120. I'm hoping to make this for my family tomorrow, but couldn't find unsweetened coconut cream. I was wondering if almond milk could be used in place of coconut cream or will it not be creamy enough? I would love an almond-y chocolate mousse! :)

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  121. Hi and thank you for asking:) Almond milk wouldn't work, it's too thin. Almond cream on the other hand could work. If you have a good blender, you could make it yourself. You know, when you make almond milk the ratio is about 3 cups water to 1 cup soaked almonds. I'd try with just 1.5 cups water to make it super creamy and then strain it as much as possible, then chill it for a while to set. Alternatively cashew cream would work. Or, if you can get fresh young coconuts, you can use their meat to make coconut cream. Whatever you try I hope it works out great:) Looking forward to your feedback.

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  122. I just made this and left it in the fridge and I ran to the computer to say how amazing it is! Wow! I am always a little skeptical when it comes to vegan desserts, especially ones that don't have any sugar at all, but this was just amazing! I'm sure other non-vegans (like me) will love it too!
    By the way, has anyone tried freezing it and making ice-cream out of it? I'm curious but it's too yummy to risk it :D

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  123. Iva, thank you so much for your feedback, it's made my day!:) I haven't tried freezing this particular dessert, but I've had frozen cheesecake with a date/nut crust. The crust was the best thing about it and it actually tasted better than before freezing. I also froze the coconut chocolate ice cream (there's another post for that) and it was still creamy after thawing. I guess this mousse would do well too:) Thanks very much for taking the time to comment!

    PS I am so impressed with your photography and style; plus I too love Monet and violins:)

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  124. Wow, amazing recipes, Thank you for sharing. I must try this one ,looks amazing.

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  125. Christina, thanks very much for writing, I'm so glad you like the recipes and hope you give them a try soon:) Looking forward to your feedback.

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  126. Vegan-
    Great answer to Siniquiq. All fats & sugars are NOT created the same. Coconut oil is extremely beneficial to the human body. I'm making this desert tomorrow for Easter dinner & trying to win over my sugar addict daughter!
    Marlene

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  127. Marlene, I guess we live and we learn. There's so much contradictory information out there, it's hard to know which foods are good and which not.

    I'm so glad you have chosen this dessert and hope your daughter is impressed:) Happy Easter!

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  128. Just finished making this and it is cooling in the fridge. I don't have to wash the bowl because my daughter just licked it clean!

    FYI, I used "light" coconut milk, and the texture is great.

    I'm not vegan but always looking for healthier alternative. Great recipe. Dates! Who knew?! :)

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  129. That's wonderful news:) Thanks very much for the feedback, I'm very happy to know your daughter enjoyed it THAT much:)) I didn't think light coconut milk would work too, it's great that it does. Many thanks for sharing this information:) Enjoy the chilled mousse!

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  130. This look delicious. What can you substitute for the coconut creme. I am allergic to coconut, banana, and do not like avocado.

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  131. Dekesha, thank you very much for your coment:) 2 easy substitutions come to mind: soya whipped cream and cashew cream. Another possibility would be to mix the date paste and cocoa powder, then gradually add your favourite non-dairy milk until you get the right consistency. You could even go one step further and use smooth peanut butter, almond butter or hazelnut butter. Whatever alternative you try, I hope it comes out fabulous:) Enjoy!

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  132. I tried this twice! First time was awesome. This time, I got lazy and poured the coconut cream and got too much liquid :( it's now in the freezer for a remedy! I'm not vegan - so this is a brilliant introduction!

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  133. Sarah, thanks very much for giving this mousse a try, I am delighted that you enjoyed it:) A little freezing time would surely take care of the liquid mousse, although, if the coconut cream is high/full fat, letting it set in the fridge for several hours would take care of the texture. I hope the second version is just as delicious. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience:)

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  134. I love this recipe! A variation on this is to add cinnamon and a touch of cayenne pepper for a spicy dark chocolate treat!

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  135. Johnilee, thank you so much! That variation sounds great:)

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  136. This is delicious! My family love it. Thank you. My mum is going to tell her friend who's son has a severe dairy and soy allergy. Looking forward to trying some more recipes from you magic blog.

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  137. I am delighted to know you and your family enjoyed this mousse:) Thank you so much for the feedback and for sharing the recipe, I appreciate it:)

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  138. it looks yummy!!!!!!!!

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  139. So easy and WOW delicious!!! Thanks!

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  140. Jade, thank you so much for your comment! I'm very happy you like the mousse:)

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  141. Just made this and its sitting it the fridge... put crushed pistachios on top too. It tasted lovely when I licked the spoon so no doubt it will be wonderful. Thank you x

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  142. Thank you so much for the feedback:) I love that you added some crunch to this mousse. I'm going to do the same next time:)

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  143. I've made this twice now and we LOVE it! I tried a few different coconut milks and found the organic Thai Kitchen brand to work best. I did soak my dates in hot hot water for about 10 minutes, then just peeled off some of the skin before pureeing it in my processor. (We use a Ninja, which works wonders! I alternate between the blade and the dough paddle when making this mousse.)
    Thanks for the excellent recipe and thorough instructions.

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  144. Sarah, thank you so much for your feedback, it's very kind of you to share your experience in detail:) I'm really happy you all enjoyed the mousse and hope you find more inspiring recipes on my blog to try.

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  145. Is there anything to substitute for the vanilla? It has alcohol in it and won’t be cooked out, (obviously). Thanks!

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  146. Hi and thank you for asking. Not all vanilla extracts are made with alcohol, but if you'd rather go without, you can use vanilla bean. Just scrape out some seeds and add them to the mousse. I couldn't say how much to use because I haven't tried this yet, but I know a little goes a long way. I'd love to know how this works out for you if you try it. Enjoy!:)

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  147. I made this and soaked the dates first. That way I could easily peel the skin right off. Seemed easier than straining it.

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  148. Debbie, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm glad to know this method worked well for you. At the time I made the mousse, straining felt relaxing. Since then I have gone from making date paste separately in a food processor to chopping and mashing a few soft dried dates with a fork to buying ready made date paste:) Anything just to have my dates;)

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  149. I couldn't believe how sweet and yummy this dessert is. I am sugar free and sometimes you just want something sweet. I used my vitamix and didn't have to strain it. Loved it.

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  150. I'm so happy to know you enjoyed this mousse:) I'm addicted to dates and use them anywhere I can, that way I don't just get natural sweetness, but a better taste too. Thanks very much for the feedback, I appreciate it.

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  151. AnonymousMay 04, 2013

    Hi, is there any way you can accelerate the separation of the cream and the coconut water. I dont have the whole night :(

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  152. Hi, thank you for the enquiry. I don't know a quick way to do that. For the coconut cream to separate it takes a few hours, you know it's ready when you try to shake it and no longer feel liquid moving. If you can get a can of full-fat coconut milk you don't need to separate it at all, not even chill it in advance. Just make the mousse and then chill it for as long as you need. I hope this helps.

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  153. AnonymousMay 13, 2013

    Oh wow I could hug you!! I am a junk food junkie turned vegan for health reasonss, not by choice and I thought I was never gonna have a treat again! Today was especially hard at church when they handed out chocolate for mothersday. But oh my goodness, after making this I feel like I not messing out anymore! Its fantastic. And since I didnt strain the paste it only took minimal work and time to make. This will be my go to dessert from now on. Thank you!!!

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  154. That's fantastic news!:) I'm so happy you enjoyed the mousse. You should also try the no-churn coconut chocolate ice cream and the raw banana ice cream, they're amazing. Thank you so much for the lovely comment:)

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  155. AnonymousMay 22, 2013

    Wow this is incredible!!! I never would have thought these 3 simple ingredients would work so wonderfully together. :) I cant wait to try it again and try some other ideas that others put on here.

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  156. This mousse was a surprise for me too:) I'm so happy you enjoyed it and hope all the versions you're going to try turn out great. Thank you very much for the feedback, I appreciate it.

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  157. I am currently on a no refinded sugar detox for 30 days. I have been craving something sweet and fruit wasn't cutting it. I came across your recipe and knew I had to try it! Chocolatey and sweet! Thanks for posting this recipe. Also going to check out your other recipes. :)

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  158. Heidi, I'm very happy you like this dessert and that it fits well with your detox:) You can find online many raw and no-bake recipes using dried fruit (and fresh) that satisfy any sweet craving. Dates are my first choice and every date-based dessert I tried so far was great:) Happy detox!

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  159. Oh my goodness this looks amazing! Could I use less dates or would it compromise the texture? I think I will try this in my vitamix :D

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  160. Meagan, thank you:) You can definitely use less dates, the texture will be lighter, but still hold together nicely. You can always add more date paste, according to your taste. I hope you enjoy the mousse.

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  161. Wow! This is one of the best desserts I've ever made! I absolutely loved the smooth, creamy texture and the rich, chocolatey flavor. This is not "great-for-a-natural-recipe." This is just plain great. I definitely recommend straining the date paste. It is a pain, but is worth it for the smooth texture.

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  162. Hillary, I am very happy to know that you enjoyed the mousse so much:) It's been long since I last made it, can't even remember the taste:) Thank you kindly for taking the time to share your experience.

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  163. AnonymousJune 03, 2013

    hello which brand coconut milk you are using as well as where you can buy it. Please let me know

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  164. Hello and thank you for your enquiry. For this mousse you don't need a particular brand of coconut milk, any brand would work as long as it is full- or high-fat. I hope you enjoy the mousse if you give it a try.

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  165. Thanks for sharing and please post up more amazing recipes. I recently started eating 85% raw and loving it. This was a simple, delicious dessert to make so I really appreciate it having a sweet tooth as I do! Cath.

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  166. AnonymousJune 04, 2013

    Made this mousse yesterday its very delicious but the consistency wasn't the same. Can you please let me know which brand coconut milk are you using. Mine didnt look like yours is solid coconut cream.Thanks much.

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  167. Cath, I am delighted that you enjoyed the mousse, thank you so much for the feedback!:) I haven't been able to post lately, but I have a few great recipes lined up and as I'm planning to push raw foods this summer I'm also hoping for inspiration to make more delicious raw recipes.

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  168. Anonymous, thank you very much for giving this recipe a try, I'm glad you enjoyed the mousse. Try to find Thai Kitchen coconut milk, that's full fat and is probably the most popular brand used for chocolate mousse and for coconut whipped cream. I look forward to your feedback.

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  169. AnonymousJune 06, 2013

    I made this dessert tonight, and while it was delicious, it was extremely sweet. I could barely finish a serving because it was so rich.
    The texture was weird, too. It was more like a mix between a pudding and custard, rather than light and fluffy life mousse.
    Overall, I think this is a great recipe. Perhaps I need to work on my cooking techniques? However, it was too sweet for me to make again.

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  170. Thank you very much for sharing your experience with this dessert. For me it had just the right amount of sweetness. Some kinds of dates are sweeter than others, maybe that was the reason. You can always reduce the amount of date paste, just start by adding half, taste and adjust accordingly. To make it more airy you can either use a regular blender or a whisk and mix it vertically to trap air inside. I hope you'll give it another try:)

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  171. HI, have you tried this using Carob versus Cocoa powder? Just curious if you would use same ratio? Thanks

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  172. Lacy, hi! Thank you for asking. I haven't tried carob in this recipe but I think I would probably start with less, then check the taste and adjust accordingly. I will update the post if/when I do try it.

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  173. I can't eat refined sugar and love chocolate so just tried this. I made a couple of changes. 1st. I rehydrated the dates by putting dates with 1tbspn water in jug and microwaving on full for 1 min.Drained water off 2nd. I could not find 70%coconut milk so used 50/50 creamy coconut milk 50% coconut solids and coconut cream. 3rd. I could nut be bothered to sieve so I blended it for longer.It's as smooth as silk. Delicious and I think my guests will love it and not guess the ingredients!

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  174. MarahD, that's fantastic! Your feedback has made my day:) I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the mousse and hope it has inspired you to try more date-sweetened desserts. Thank you so much for taking the time to write:)

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  175. I am so excited to make this recipe. I have never made anything like this before. Just discovered I have two family members who can no longer eat gluten so I am having to come up with new great food. I am alittle confused by one thing in your directions. I don't see where it says to add the remainder of the can of coconut milk. I add the two spoonfulls to make the date paste and am currently straining that. Do I then add the rest of the can and the coco then it's done? Thanks for the clarification.
    Rachel

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  176. Rachel, thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I hope you enjoy the mousse. The directions are just above the 4th picture, you add the 2 Tb coconut so that it's easier to blend the dates, then add the rest of it...or strain the paste and only then add the remaining coconut milk.

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  177. AnonymousJune 25, 2013

    OMG! This mousse is sooooo delicious! Thx for this awsome recipe! I agree that coconut oil and milk are super healthy for us! I followed recipe as written, but the can of Thai coconut milk I used completely solidified so I used all of it. :) I also used Hersey's Special Dark which made it super dark and rich in flavor. Finally I used stainless steel sauce cups which are much smaller than ramekins so I got 7 perfect little cups. Per myfitnesspal calculator my cups have a total of 174 in calories - 10 grams of good fat, 12 grams of sugar, 16 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein and 36 grams in sodium from the cocoa. All sounds perfect to me! YAY! :) ❤❤❤❤ The only BAD thing about this recipe is that my husband loves it too! Boo Hoo I have to share.

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  178. That's fantastic news!:) Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it. I remember that although this recipe made quite a lot of mousse sharing it was hard;) Thank you as well for sharing the breakdown of nutrients, I know many readers are interested in it.

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  179. Made this tonight and it was fantastic! I did use low fat coconut milk and I don't think I will do that again but it was still good. I love that it is a chocolate dessert with no white sugar, no eggs. I made the whole thing in my blender and everyone loved it. The ages of the people I served are 3, 4, 11, 17, 21, and a couple of 50 year olds. As you can see it please a wide range of tastes!

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  180. Teri, I love the fact that so many people enjoyed it:) Thank you very much for the feedback, it's made my day!

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  181. I LOVE this recipe! My mom is on a low carb diet, and dates, although a carb rich fruit, are allowed in it, so i made this last Christmas, and she LOVED IT! Thank you SO much!

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  182. Thank YOU for taking the time to leave feedback, I greatly appreciate it. I am delighted that you and your mom enjoyed the mousse. Date-sweetened desserts do have something special, don't they?:)

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  183. I was wondering how you strained your dates?

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  184. Alycia, I didn't strain the dates alone, they were first blended with the coconut and that made it easy. It's all written in the instructions. I used a regular strainer and a spoon. Thank you for stopping by.

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  185. Thank you for the recipe!, I realy love how it tast and just made my second batch!!!!

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  186. Patricia, I'm super happy that you enjoyed the mousse so much you made it again. It really is delicious! Thank you so much for the feedback:)

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  187. AnonymousJuly 28, 2013

    Hello, I can't wait to try this,but I am still a bit confused about the recipe. Do I refrigerate the can of coconut milk and then use the part that solidifies at the top? The recipe says to use 1 can of coconut milk, but the picture appears to be just the solidified part. Thanks so much!

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  188. That's right, you use only the solidified part from 1 can coconut milk after chilling it in the fridge - sometimes there isn't much transparent liquid left, depending on the brand. Below the picture I've given the instructions for this step. I hope you enjoy the mousse:)

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  189. AnonymousJuly 30, 2013

    I actually had the opposite experience of one of your other commenters - my mousse, though delicious, ended up a very thick and sweet icing consistency rather than being light like a mousse. I also used my food processor rather than a handblender, so maybe that would make a difference, I'm not sure. We still all enjoyed it, but it was very heavy and rich. Luckily, I served with blueberries and banana slices and that cut the richness a bit. Thanks for the great recipe! - Sarah

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  190. Sarah, I doubt the food processor did that, quite the contrary it should have helped air the mousse and make it lighter. It could be the brand of coconut milk you used, or the dates if they were not soft enough. You could try a lighter coconut cream next time or just add regular carton coconut milk to thin the mousse. I hope it turns out perfectly next time. Thank you very much for sharing your experience:)

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  191. I made this, and it's such a hit, I have to make at least twice a month, I've found I can buy an 8 oz package of chopped dates, and soak them in the creamy coconut milk and just use my immersion blender to blend I usually add cocoa powder right before I blend! It's delicious and decadent!

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  192. Krista, it sounds like you found the easiest way to make this mousse:) I'm very happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the feedback:)

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  193. Anonymous, thank you for your input. The mousse is super delicious, I hope you enjoy it when you give it a try:)

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  194. This is seriously amazing...no need to worry about the bits either was quite smooth enough..and originally reading that kinda put me off making it..I did soak the dates in hot water for an hour or so first...delicious!

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  195. I found this mousse recipe looking for a chocolate fix that fit the no refined sugar and dairy diet I am currently on. Let me just say this is incredibly addicting and could be something served at a 4 star restaurant! It's definitely a rich treat, and it's probably a good thing the yield is not that large. I actually blended the dates with water to cut their sweetness and I found it was still quite sweet, but nevertheless it turned out great. Thanks for sharing!

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