Instructions

Make the Mousse

1. Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside. Bring a pot with 1” of water to a simmer – you’re going to be creating a double boiler (use a double boiler if you have one).
2. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Do not let your bowl touch the water.
3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; set aside.
4. Using that same simmering water, put your chocolate in a bowl and set atop of it and heat until melted. Beat the egg yolk mixture until it is slightly thickened and paler yellow, and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl ~ 3 minutes. Remove the mixer bowl from the stand. Add the warm melted chocolate and whisk by hand until smooth; set aside. Either with your stand mixer with the whisk attachment or hand mixer with beaters, pour the cream into a bowl and beat until medium peaks form.
5. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until there are no visible streaks of white. Place the mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or place it in a large plastic baggie leaving room at the one tip to snip off later. Place the bag into the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours.

Make the Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle. Wrap the outside of two 13×4″ rectangular removable bottom torte pans with removable bottoms. If you don’t have these you can use two 8×8” pans with removable bottoms (or line with parchment if they do not have removable bottoms. If you use the larger pans you will need to adjust the baking time.
2. In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler stirring occasionally. Essentially you want to bring about 1” of water to a simmer then place your bowl that has the butter and chocolate in it over top but NOT touching the water. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Stir in the sugar, salt, and Chocolate Extract. With a sturdy mixing spoon, beat the eggs in one at a time until blended. Add the flour, Espresso Powder , baking powder and cocoa and beat until the batter is just smooth. Don’t over mix. Evenly divide the batter between both pans. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean – a few moist crumbs are okay. Set the pans on a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. After 20 minutes carefully remove the brownies from the pans leaving the removable bottom in place. Cool completely on the rack.

Make the Cream Filling

1. Put the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. You want them ice cold! *See notes
2. In a small microwave bowl, combine gelatin and water; let stand until thick ~about 1 minute. Microwave for 20-30 seconds just until the gelatin dissolves and it’s not grainy. Do not allow this to set. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until slightly thick. ~1 minute. While slowly beating, add the gelatin to the cream. Whip at high until stiff. Use immediately or store in the fridge.

Assemble

1. Using a long thin spatula carefully remove the bottom part of the pan from one of your brownies and place on a rectangular serving platter. Spread half of the mousse over top of the brownie leaving a 1/4”” space all the way around. Carefully spoon and spread half of the cream filling over top of the mousse. Using a long thin spatula carefully remove the bottom part of the pan from the other brownie and gently place on top of the cream mixture pushing down very slightly. Try to line the edges up. By pushing down you’ll push the filling to the edges.
2. Spread the other half of the mousse mixture over top all the way to the edges. Add the remaining cream filling on top and spread to the edges. Garnish with mini chips.
3. Chill uncovered for at least 1 hour prior to serving. * You can flash freeze this uncovered until everything is hardened. Then wrap until ready to serve. To serve from frozen state, allow to cool slightly and slice while partially frozen.