The Good: Tastes great, Easy to prepare, Generates more than the directions say it ought to.
The Bad: Limited shelf life when made.
The Basics: Jell-O Chocolate Mousse is a pleasant surprise and a decent quality easy-to-prepare mousse!
When I began my blog, I discovered the simple joy of Jell-O Chocolate Fudge pudding (reviewed here!). I enjoyed it so much it is almost a surprise that it took me this long to get around to reviewing another Jell-O product. But when one of the local stores put the Jell-O Chocolate Mousse on clearance, I decided I had to try it. I love mousse and I had some real doubts that an instant mousse could turn out good at all. Fortunately, with the Jell-O Chocolate Mousse, I discovered how wrong I could be. Plus, as a little bonus to the reduced clearance price of the Chocolate Mousse, I was thrilled when I was able to get more out of it than the directions dictated I would (or should!).
Basics
Mousse is a pretty basic dessert, though I imagine finely-made one would require quite a bit more work than the instant mousse from Jell-O does! For those who have never had it, Mousse a dairy-based dessert which is whipped with milk into a thick, fluffy and usually surprisingly filling dessert that is like ice cream, save that it is not frozen and not quite as sweet. Jell-O brand Chocolate Mousse is a flavor that lives up to the promise of rich, thick, and almost dark chocolate.
Jell-O Chocolate Mousse comes in a powder, sealed in a bag, in a 3.2 oz. box. That is supposed to make four servings when prepared, but rather incredibly, we managed to get five out of it!
Ease of Preparation
Jell-O instant Chocolate Mousse is remarkably simple to make. The steps to making the Mousse from the solid to the full, thick dairy dessert are simple. Simply empty the powder from the box and bag into a bowl. Add one cup of cold milk (I used fat free milk because my wife and I are working to eat healthier and I was pleasantly surprised when it actually made a firm chocolate mousse!). Using an electric mixer, beat the mix for thirty seconds on low. Then crank the speed up to medium for a full four minutes. This results in a light, fluffy mix. Then, simply refrigerate and in an hour or two, you have thick, rich, delightful chocolate mousse. This is a surprisingly simple dessert to make up.
Taste
The Jell-O Chocolate Mousse smells perfectly like chocolate. In fact, it smells exactly like a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar! This has a rich chocolate aroma that is very inviting.
On the tongue, the Chocolate Mousse is exactly like one might hope or expect given the scent. The texture is light and fluffy, like a whipped cream. The taste, however, is exactly like chocolate chips. The flavor is distinctive and richly chocolate with a slight bitterness that insinuates both real chocolate and a darker chocolate than something like most chocolate chips or a Hershey’s bar. Instead, this tastes more like a high-quality chocolate bar, like Godiva, which is very gratifying!
This leaves a slight bitter and dry aftertaste in the mouth. The aftertaste endures for about five minutes.
Nutrition
Because it is dessert, Jell-O Chocolate instant Mousse is not intended to be overly healthy. Still, because it is a dairy product and made with real milk, it is not the worst dessert in the world on the nutrition front. Obviously, though, it is a dairy product so those who are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies might want to have something else for dessert.
One box makes up five half-cup servings (it is only supposed to make four). In a serving (when prepared with skim milk), there are 120 calories, forty of which come from fat. That represents 7% of the RDA of fat and 2% of one's daily cholesterol. There is not a significant amount of protein in this dessert, though it represents the intake of 2% of a person's daily recommended sodium. The milk in a serving provides 8% of the RDA of calcium. There are negligible amounts of Iron and Vitamin A as well. As I said, this could be a lot worse as far as a dessert goes.
Storage/Clean-up
In its powdered form, the Jell-O Chocolate instant Mousse has a shelf life of only about a year. Once it is mixed with the milk, though, it ought to be eaten within forty-eight hours and be kept airtight to retain its flavor best.
Clean-up is easy as the ingredients wash off porcelain, metal and wood easily before the Mousse sets. After one consumes the Mousse, the leftovers can be washed off with hot water. Chocolate Mousse will stain as it is a dark brown color. If you get it on clothing, consult your fabric guide for cleaning instructions, though I'd bet getting the stain into cold water wouldn't hurt most of the time!
Overall
Jell-O Chocolate Mousse is a wonderfully flavorful instant dessert that is almost hard to believe is an inexpensive, instant dessert! It is well worth picking up and enjoying for date nights at home or just the surprise Wednesday!
For other chocolate treats I have reviewed, please check out:
Lindt Pistachio Nut Bar
Clif Builder's Chocolate Mint Protein Bar
Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bar
8/10
For other food products, please check out my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment