If you’re looking for a simple but luxurious dessert, this small batch dulce de leche mousse is *it.* It’s filled with butterscotch flavor and topped with a dark chocolate shell. Best part is it’s impressive but easy to make.
There’s something magical that happens when you mix dulce de leche with cream. This dulce de leche mousse has the great vanilla and butterscotch flavors of dulce de leche, but is light and airy from being mixed with whipped cream.
I like to layer this easy dulce de leche mousse in a coupe glass so it feels really special. For texture, we add some extra dulce de leche and crushed cookies on the bottom of the coupe glasses. And we add a thin layer of rich dark chocolate on top – it hardens in the fridge into a beautiful chocolate shell.
Did I mention this dulce de leche mousse is easy to make? It uses just 5 ingredients including the cookies and chocolate. We use a great trick to make easy dulce de leche, and you don’t need any gelatin or eggs to stabilize the mousse (don’t tell the French). And this makes enough dulce de leche mousse for 2-4 people, so it’s the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, a dinner party or a cozy night in.
This post is all about an easy recipe for small batch dulce de leche mousse.
Small Batch Dulce de Leche Mousse
Equipment You’ll Need
- Coupe glasses or dessert cups / ramekins for serving. I’d get coupe glasses from a local thrift store (they always have so much character), but these ones and these ones from Amazon look great.
- An electric hand mixer for whipping
- Optional piping bag. I really only use this if I’m making mini coupe glasses of mousse, but if you’d like to you can certainly use one!
Ingredients
Only five ingredients. Unlike traditional mousse recipes, we don’t use raw eggs, egg yolks, egg whites, or gelatin powder inthis dulce de leche mousse recipe. It really is a simple recipe.
- One can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk: We use an easy method to turn this into your own dulce de leche! You can also buy already made dulce de leche from the store – opt for the best quality container you can get.
- Heavy cream: This helps set up the mousse and gives it an airy texture
- Cream cheese: This helps set up the mousse so we get a really creamy dulce de leche mousse. It also adds a little tang to balance the sweetness of the dulce de leche. Opt for full fat cream cheese.
- Nilla Wafers or another storebought cookie: We crush and layer cookies in our coupe glasses to add texture. The cookies beautifully soak up the mousse, akin to the lady fingers in a tiramisu.
- Quality dark chocolate bar: We melt a bit of chocolate to create a shell on the top of the coupe glasses
How to Make Dulce de Leche Mousse
This is a high-level overview. Please read the recipe card below for full step-by-step instructions 🙂
1. Plop the can of sweetened condensed milk into boiling water. Boil for 2-3 hours, continuing to add water so the can always stays covered. Let sit on the counter until it comes down to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until it goes from soft peaks to stiff peaks.
3. Cream together 1/2 cup of the sweetened condensed milk turned to dulce de leche with the cream cheese and salt on medium-high speed. Switching to a rubber spatula gently fold the whipped cream into the dulce de leche mixture.
4. Assemble the coupes. In the coupe glasses or individual ramekins, layer a spoonful of dulce de leche, then crushed up cookie, then the luscious dulce de leche mousse. Spread melted chocolate on top of the mousse. Chill in the fridge, decorate with more crushed cookie and a sprinkle of sea salt, and enjoy! I like to keep the mousse in the fridge for a few hours before serving so it really sets up.
Tips for the Best Dulce de Leche Mousse
- Treat the can of sweetened condensed milk with respect! Keep it covered with water while it’s boiling, and let it completely come to room temperature before opening the can (otherwise it may explode out and scald you).
- Use room temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth mousse.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff – not soft – peaks to get that airy mousse texture.
- Keep your chocolate shell on top super thin. This will help you crack through it more easily with your spoon, otherwise you’re going to be chipping away at the chocolate to get into the mousse.
- Chill before serving so the mousse can fully set.
FAQs
Yes! It’s in easy-to-multiply amounts so you can double or triple it for a crowd. You can also assemble the mousse in mini coupe glasses for a party and serve with tiny spoons – I’m making a mini champagne tower with them for a Valentine’s Day party.
Covered flush with plastic wrap, dulce de leche mousse will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Caramel is of French origin, while dulce de leche is from Latin America. They taste similar, but dulce de leche has a more rich caramel flavor and is thicker and more unctuous.
They’re also made differently. Caramel is made by heating sugar until it melts and caramelizes, sometimes with butter and cream added for a smooth sauce. Dulce de leche, on the other hand, is made by slowly cooking milk, sugar and baking soda, or sweetened condensed milk until it thickens and develops a deep butterscotch flavor.
Sweetened condensed milk is milk that has been thickened and sweetened but remains pourable. Dulce de leche is sweetened condensed milk that’s been cooked slowly until it becomes thick, creamy, and caramelized.
Dulce de leche is incredibly versatile! You can drizzle it over ice cream, spread it on toast, swirl it into brownies, mix it into coffee or use it in frosting.
More delicious recipes
- If you love that caramel flavor, you’ll lose it for munchies cookie bars, tahini caramel cornflake brownies and tahini chipwiches.
- If you can’t decide between cookies and brownies next, try fudgy brookies or brown butter chocolate chip blondies. Both are perfect love children of brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
- If you want a super quick and easy sweet treat, try safe-to-eat chocolate chip cookie dough for two, homemade pistachio croissants (they make storebought croissants look straight out of a bakery), or campfire banana boats (campfire optional).
If you make this dulce de leche mousse, please leave a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @loaves.and.such!
Dulce de Leche Mousse
3
to 4 servings30
minutes5
minutesIf you’re looking for a simple but luxurious dessert, this small batch dulce de leche mousse is *it.* It’s impressive yet easy to make, and is creamy, filled with butterscotch flavor and topped with a dark chocolate shell.
This is a great make-ahead recipe, since the dulce de leche needs several hours to cook and then cool. The mousse itself also becomes more set the longer it is in the fridge, so you can assemble and then serve later in the day.
Makes 3-4 coupe glasses, depending on the size of the glass.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (or 1 cup of premade dulce de leche)
3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. fine kosher or sea salt
Nilla Wafers or other storebought cookies
2 oz chocolate, chopped
Flaky sea salt to top
Directions
- Boil the can of sweetened condensed milk: Boil water in a pot that can fully cover the can of sweetened condensed milk with water. When the water is boiling, place the can in on its side using a slotted spoon or tongs (if you put it down on its bottom, it will annoyingly keep floating to the top). Boil for 2-3 hours (2 for less caramelization, 3 for more). Continue to add water to the pot so that the sweetened condensed milk always stays covered.
Let the can rest on the counter until it reaches room temperature, 2-3 hours. If you are making the mousse the next day, you can put the can in the fridge once it reaches room temperature and then bring give it a couple hours on the counter to get to room temp the next day.
Warning: Do NOT open the can before it’s at room temperature – it may explode out and scald you - Whip the cream: Once the sweetened condensed milk is at room temperature, whip the cream and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Go until the cream forms stiff peaks.
- Make the mousse: Clean off your beaters. In a medium-sized bowl, add 1/2 cup of the sweetened condensed milk that’s now dulce de leche, the 4 ounces of cream cheese and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cream together on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined.
Switch to a spatula and gently fold in the whipped cream. - Assemble the coupes: Melt the chocolate in the microwave or on the stovetop over very low heat. Set aside.
Mix the rest of the dulce de leche with a pinch of salt. Spread spoonful of dulce de leche to the bottom of each glass, then crumble 1-2 cookies on top, then add the mousse until it’s just shy of the top of the glass (1/8 inch headroom). Smooth out the top of the mousse and then pour the melted chocolate on top. Using an offset spatula or the dull edge of a knife, level out the chocolate. Some may drip off the side – you can either wipe it off with a warm, wet paper towel or keep it (the drips look kind of cool but make it look less like a cocktail).
Chill in the fridge until the chocolate hardens, 15-30 minutes. - Serve: Fold a paper towel in half, and cover one-third of the coupe glass with it. Add finely crushed cookies to the exposed two-thirds, then sprinkle flaky sea salt across the full coupe.
Enjoy, or let chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve (the mousse gets more set the longer it’s in the fridge)!
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