Best Shaped Chocolate Dessert Cups Recipes

CHOCOLATE DESSERT CUPS

Steps:

• In a microwave or saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and shortening. brush evenly on the inside of eight paper or foil muffin cup liners. Chill until hardened, about 25 minutes. Remove liners. Fill chocolate cups with ice cream. Garnish with candy canes.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL DESSERT CUPS RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Combine graham crumbs, sugar, nuts and butter; spread onto bottom of 8-inch square pan. Bake 10 min.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate as directed on package; set aside. Microwave caramels and water in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until caramels begin to melt; stir until completely melted.
• Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Stir in melted chocolate.
• Spoon 1 Tbsp. crumb mixture into each of 8 dessert cups; top with 2 Tbsp. pudding mixture and 1 Tbsp. caramel sauce. Cover with remaining pudding mixture; sprinkle with coconut.
• Refrigerate 1 hour. Melt remaining chocolate; drizzle over desserts just before serving.

HEART-SHAPED CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIRS

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry cream: Cut vanilla bean in half crosswise, then cut a slit lengthwise down each half. Use the edge of the knife to scrape out all the seeds. Discard the pods or reserve for another use.
• Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg, egg yolks, milk, and vanilla seeds in a saucepan; whisk until well combined.
• Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom surface of the pan, until thick, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk to release some steam. Add butter and keep stirring until melted. Pass through a fine sieve to remove any fibrous bits from the vanilla pod. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Combine butter, water, and salt for the pate choux in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a buttery dough forms. Continue to cook and stir until a starchy film forms on the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and continue stirring for 1 more minute.
• Transfer to a bowl. Add one egg and mix it in with a little dough. Once that's incorporated, mix it in with the remaining dough. Repeat with the second egg. Continue stirring until you have a very sticky dough. Use a spatula to clean off the whisk if necessary.
• Transfer the dough into a pastry bag and snip off the tip making a ½-inch opening. Pipe two 6-inch heart shapes on the prepared baking sheet. Start by making thin shapes and then pipe extra dough to make them thicker. To fine-tune the hearts, dip your fingers in water and fix any imperfections if desired.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until beautifully browned, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the pastries in the oven, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Let sit until crispy and dried out, about 1 hour.
• Use a serrated knife to slice the hearts in half horizontally.
• Remove pastry cream from the refrigerator and transfer to a pastry bag. Generously pipe cream into the bottom half of each heart, then place the top halves on the cream.
• Heat cream in a saucepan until simmering.
• Place chocolate chips in a small bowl and pour hot cream over top. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then whisk until chocolate has melted and ganache is thick and shiny. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
• Spoon ganache on top of each heart. Reserve any remaining ganache for another use. Refrigerate éclairs until the ganache is firm, about 15 minutes.
• Place éclairs on serving plates. Fill the center of each heart with raspberries and sift cocoa powder over top. Sift powdered sugar over just the raspberries and serve. (Each éclair is enough for two people.)

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CUPS

Steps:

• For the white chocolate mousse, place the white chocolate and butter in a medium bowl, with a strainer placed over it. Heat the milk to just below a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together. Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture gradually, whisking while adding. Return this to the pot and continue to whisk over medium heat until glossy and thickened, about 4 minutes then stir in the softened gelatin. Pour this through the strainer and stir until the chocolate and butter has melted. Cool the chocolate mixture to room temperature.
• Whip the cream until it holds a soft peak and fold this into the chocolate mixture. Chill the mousse until set slightly but still soft, about 90 minutes.
• For the chocolate cups, inflate and tie the mini balloons. Give them a little wipe with a damp cloth and allow them to dry. Have ready a parchment-lined baking tray.
• Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl, placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring gently until melted. Remove the chocolate from the heat.
• Dip the balloons halfway into the chocolate on a angle, and lift and rotate as dipping repeatedly, creating a tulip shape. Shake off excess chocolate and place each balloon onto the parchment-lined tray. Chill the balloons until the chocolate has set.
• Use a pin to gently pop the balloon and let the air out slowly. Lift the balloon out of the cup and discard. Pipe the white chocolate mousse into the cups and top with raspberries or chocolate shavings. Chill until ready to serve.