Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart
This week has been crazy busy. Between my baby sister graduating high school and my blog going down for the day yesterday, add on top of that our normal work load and being out of town last weekend and next weekend, I’m ready for a break. Luckily, this weekend our trip is to visit friends and spend time on the lake. It’s exactly what I need at this point.
Early June is one of my favorite times of the year for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s my birthday month. Yes, I’m one of those obnoxious people who expect you to care that one day out of the entire month is my birthday. Lucky for me, Hubby humors me and lets me talk about my birthday month like it’s completely normal. What would I do without him?
Second, it’s strawberry season. I *wish* I could live in a part of the world where strawberry season lasted months. But around these parts, it’s only a few precious weeks in June. Hubby and I haven’t found anywhere to strawberry pick yet this year (recommendations anyone?), but I’ve been enjoying the strawberries that come in our CSA box every week.
The majority of our strawberries are being eaten straight up. The other night we threw some angel food cake on the grill and topped it with strawberries. It was amazing.
And, of course, I always bake with strawberries during strawberry season. I have posted quite a few strawberry recipes in the past 5+ years. This chocolate goat cheese mousse tart might be one of my favorites of all time.
It starts with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Next up comes a silky chocolate mousse. The original recipe used all cream cheese, but I threw in half goat cheese, half cream cheese. I know strawberries and goat cheese pair together nicely and who doesn’t love a little tanginess in their dessert? Last, but definitely not least, fresh strawberries top off this dessert. It’s seriously a winner and I think you should make it this summer.
Two Years Ago: Challah Bread and Freezable Lemon Bars
Three Years Ago: Strawberry and Spinach Salad and Strawberry and Blueberry Jam
Four Years Ago: It’s an Appliance Party! and Turkey Chili
Five Years Ago: Deceptively Delicious Brownies
Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart
Goat cheese provides a great tanginess that compliments the chocolate and strawberries. If you don't like goat cheese, just use 8 oz of cream cheese and eliminate the goat cheese.
Yield: Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
For the Filling
1 cup whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz goat cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
200 gram dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
10 fresh strawberries, halved
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat over to 350F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish.
To prepare crust, mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and cocoa powder in a small bowl, and mix until a moist yet crumbly mixture forms.
Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until it holds firm peaks. Remove cream from bowl and keep cold in fridge.
In the same bowl, use a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and goat cheese until it’s soft and creamy.
Add sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate, continue beating until combined.
Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten the mixture, then add the remaining cream and continue folding until incorporated.
Pour the cream mixture in the cooled crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange strawberries on top of the pie.
Refrigerate the pie until set, about 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the pie before serving.
Recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Day
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Dark chocolate truffles in cookie form? Um, YES!!! I’ll take a dozen for myself and another dozen for later, please.
Wow – these sound good! and I truly do not understand how people can just “not be into chocolate!” It is my favorite!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:26 pm
Yea, I really don’t get it either. Oh well, more for me!
Oh wow, chocolate truffle cookies sound divine! These look ridiculously good! Love that they’re salted too!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm
I have been sprinkling salt on all of my cookies recently. It makes them much more adult and less super-sweet.
Yum these look divine!
I’m always in need of a chocolate fix! I have several friends that claim they are not chocolate people, yet I find whenever I make something chocolate + salt, they are all over it!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:28 pm
I definitely find that people who claim they aren’t chocolate people rarely say no to any homemade baked goods. Chocolate or otherwise.
Oh my! These look divine 🙂 I’d love to make these babies soon!
these look amazing!! and how thick that batter is 🙂 love the sea salt!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
The batter was basically ganache. You could have just made truffles from it directly.
I love any and all things dark chocolate. These look so decadent!
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something
more safeguarded. Do you have any suggestions?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:56 pm
I use WordPress
Wow! Those look so perfectly decadent! I’m practically drooling on my screen 😉
Just made these. Worried I didn’t bake them long enough… however they still tasted divine. Waiting to get the verdict from my husband on them.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
I think underbaking these sounds like a great idea. I might have to do that next time.
Since I’m trying this recipe for the first time, can I halve the entire recipe?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I didn’t see this comment until now! I don’t see why you couldn’t make a half batch of these cookies. Did you try it? How did they turn out?
These are the most amazing chocolate cookies I have ever made. Everyone with whom I have shared them have gone absolutly nuts and want the recipe. I do not wet my hands when rolling the cookies into balls—too messy. I just let my hands get sticky and rinse and dry them after making several balls. This is one of the best recipes on Pinterest.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Thanks for the kind words! So glad you enjoy these cookies. I was wondering if getting my hands wet actually helped with the messiness very much. Next time I’ll be sure to just go at it without dealing with the water.
Hey! I tried halving the recipe…but it melted while in the oven. Became runny & all of them just stuck together 🙁
I tried just one batch. Anything I can do to fix the remaining batter?
beantownbaker — June 18th, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Interesting… How did you account for half of an egg? And is your baking powder past it’s expiration date?
Ohh! Looks like I’ve added a lil too much egg. Damn! Any way I can fix the batter? Add more flour perhaps? Plz help!
beantownbaker — June 19th, 2013 @ 7:12 am
I’d add a little more flour to see if you can balance out the extra amount of egg in there.
I added 1/4 cup more flour & a teensy bit of baking powder to my messed up batter & they came out wonderfully! They’re so gooey & yumm that my husband & son (who never eats chocolate!) finished six cookies at one go!
Amazing recipe!! Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it !
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:00 am
Oh GOOD! So glad you were able to make them work. Aren’t they divine?
U bet! They are sinfully delicious! Sent some in my son’s snack pack & I have mommies calling for these cookies!
I’m officially ur No.1 fan now! 🙂
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:18 am
Aww Thanks! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could put them in the freezer instead of the fridge for a shorter period of time? If so, how long should I put them in the freezer for instead of the fridge?
beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 8:06 am
Hm. You could definitely try it. I would think it’s still going to need an hour or so in the freezer since you want it to set up pretty well. Let me know how it turns out if you do.