Holiday recipes seem like they're always the best and Halloween recipes just might be the most fun. There are really so many directions you can go- from the classic Halloween sweets, to delicious filled pumpkins and squash, to mummified hot dogs, it seems like the possibilities are endless. One of my favorite parts about Halloween is the fun spookiness of it, and how fun it can be to play around with the classic colors this holiday brings. When trying to brainstorm your next Halloween party food, or what to make for an at-home Halloween dessert, this twist on a classic is the simple and spookiest treat.
These black velvet pots de creme with whipped cream are as delicious as the classic chocolate decadent dessert, complete with a holiday twist. In addition to semisweet chocolate, a dash of black velvet cacao powder, a little black food coloring, and some black sprinkles bring a haunted twist to this easy dessert. With some piped on whipped cream (which just so happens to look a bit like a ghost), these elegant and fun Halloween treats will take up only 20 minutes of hands-on time with the rest being chilling. So let's whip these ghostly guys up!
We'll start with both semisweet chocolate and black velvet cacao powder. The semisweet chocolate is an obvious staple here, and the main character, so it's important to grab a good quality option if you can find one. I used Ghirardelli semisweet, and if you like your chocolate a bit sweeter, I would recommend potentially adding an additional tablespoon of sugar given that the black cacao has a stronger flavor. Speaking of black cacao! The black velvet cacao powder I recently stumbled upon is the coolest ingredient, perfect for this time of year. Because it is dutched, even though it does have a strong taste it is also especially smooth and adds the richest flavor and dark color to this chocolate dessert.
We'll add these two ingredients to a blender and get going on everything else. While it may seem odd to start with these in the blender, it will ensure that once our milk mixture is ready, we can immediately add it to the chocolate while it's still very hot, so that everything can be easily blended into the silkiest chocolate mix.
Next it's as easy as grabbing a medium saucepan, setting it over medium heat, and whisking together the milk, some of the cream, the butter, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Since we would have used additional semisweet chocolate if it weren't for the cacao powder, we're adding the butter and a little extra sugar as a replacement. While this simmers on medium or medium-low, use a wooden spoon or spatula to continously stir to ensure everything is evenly mixed and hot. Once the mixture begins to thicken, and it coats the back of your spoon, remove it from the heat and carefully carry it to the blender.
Pour everything directly onto the chocolate and cacao powder, then carefully cover it with the lid. Hold the lid down very tightly (!) preferably with a dish towel as well, as the steam from the hot liquid will create pressure once you turn the blender on. Blend until smooth, carefully opening the lid to scrape down the sides if needed and adding black food coloring if desired. The black velvet cacao powder is pretty dark on its own, but because of the milk and cream, if you want these to be truly black you can add some black food coloring. To determine how much, add a little at a time, blend it, and see if you need to add more. Pour the chocolate evenly between 5-6 ramekins or glass bowls, and pop these in the fridge until they're set.
Once the pots de creme are almost set, we'll make a quick homemade whipped cream. It took me years to realize that making homemade whipped cream might be the easiest thing out there. Plus, we already had to buy the heavy cream for the chocolate, so might as well use a bit more of it up! It's truly as easy as adding some heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a bowl, and whipping it up until stiff peaks form.
In the spirit of an easy Halloween dessert, I spooned the whipped cream into a piping bag (in a pinch you can also use a ziplock bag with one of the corners cut off) with a fairly large circular icing tip. Grab those chocolate ramekins from the fridge, and pipe the whipped cream on each until it looks like little ghosts are sitting on each chocolate. A tip is to not press down as you're piping on the whipped cream, as this will ensure each ring is light and airy and not smooshed.
As far as an easy Halloween recipe for adults or kids, these black velvet pots de creme are the perfect solution. The black velvet cacao adds the perfect spookiness to this classic dessert, and the ghost whipped cream makes them extra fun. I also think people of any age would love these, as the silky chocolate is the perfect pudding-like dessert that looks MUCH more difficult than it is. Although these would be the perfect Halloween dessert, they would also be great for a Thanksgiving chocolate accompaniment to all the pies. The best part truly is that the hands-on time for this dessert is only 20 minutes, and the remaining time is just for letting them chill. Which means you can also chill while they chill, which is definitely a win-win.
Grab some black sprinkles, and dust each spooky treat with as many or as little sprinkles as you like. Enjoy this Halloween black velvet easy dessert that's also perfect for any chilly fall night.
A black velvet twist on the classic silky chocolate pots de creme dessert, topped with fresh homemade whipped cream and lots of black sprinkles.
Servings: 5-6 bowls or ramekins depending on size
1. Add chopped chocolate and black velvet cacao powder to a blender. In a medium saucepan, add milk, 1 cup heavy cream, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine, then simmer for 6-7 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon.
2. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate, cover, tightly hold down lid, and blend until smooth. Carefully remove lid, scrape down sides of blender, and add black food coloring if using (adding a little at a time to test color). Continue blending until smooth.
3. Pour chocolate into ramekins, leaving room at the top of each for whipped cream. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours or until set.
4. Meanwhile, add remaining 1 cup heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a medium bowl with a hand mixer. Whip until stiff peaks form. Add whipped cream to piping bag and pipe on to each chilled ramekin, sprinkling with black sprinkles.
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