My dad was recently on a business trip, and while he was having dinner with his colleagues he sent me a picture of an extremely elaborate dessert. It was composed of geometric shapes crafted in chocolate with various sauces to pour on top so the chocolate would melt and reveal additional chocolate surprises. Let’s just say I was extremely jealous.
I mean, come on, practically a masterpiece was created on a plate and all I wanted to do was to be there in person to take pictures and post them on Instagram.
And then you actually get the chance to experience the different types of chocolate and savor the beautiful creativity of the chef. To quote Gordon Ramsay, “100% chance of tears tonight.”
But in all seriousness, I’ve always been fascinated and wondered if I could ever make a dessert that could capture geometric beauty while also tasting good. Thanks to a tip from a very old issue of Family Circle, I discovered that using old milk, cream, or juice cartons can be used to make chocolate molds due to the fact that the inside of the cartons are coated in a wax-like texture and are easy to peel off if you let the chocolate solidify.
The next time you chuck your cartons in the recycling or trash can, maybe wash them out and save them for later. You could make instead a seriously bomb white chocolate mousse box that will for sure fulfill your chocolate cravings.
Mousse-Filled Chocolate Boxes
Ingredients
Instructions
Take an empty carton of milk, cream, or juice and make sure to clean and wash thoroughly. Then open the top corners and cut away completely so that you are left with just the u0022cubeu0022 part of the milk carton.
Cut along the corners of the box until you almost reach the bottom of the carton. Do NOT completely cut away so the sides are detached from the bottom.
#SpoonTip: You want to cut almost to the bottom, as this will make it easier to peel off the carton sides from your chocolate box when it is time to remove everything while still maintaining the shape of the chocolate box.
Cut the carton in half so that you are left with a cube that is about 2-3 inches tall and the sides are cut down almost to the bottom.
Tape the four corners of the cut carton with masking tape. This is so you can u0022paintu0022 the chocolate onto your carton to form your chocolate box, as then you can remove the tape so as to peel back the carton and remove the chocolate box.
Take the semisweet chocolate and microwave for about 50 seconds until the chocolate is melted but NOT overly liquid.
#SpoonTip: You want the melted chocolate a little thicker, as it will be easier to u0022paintu0022 on the inside of the carton.
Using a cooking brush (whether rubber or normal bristles), brush the melted chocolate onto the inside of your empty milk/juice carton. Make sure that each of the sides has equal amounts of chocolate as well as a good layer of chocolate so your box has the best chances of forming. Let the chocolate covered carton cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or longer.
#SpoonTip: Work quickly when doing this as it does not take long for the chocolate to solidify!
While the box is cooling, take the heavy cream and heat it up to a boil for about 30 seconds. Once the cream is hot and boiling, pour over the white chocolate and stir until both ingredients are combined. Let the chocolate mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
Prepare the 2 cups of whipped cream into a bowl and then pour the white chocolate mixture on top of the whipped cream and fold everything together until mousse is formed.
Once the 30 minutes have passed, take the carton out of the refrigerator and gently remove the tape and sides of the carton from the formed chocolate box. Place box upside down on a plate when done.
Turn box over when ready and fill with the white chocolate mousse. You can fill the box up with as much or as little mousse as you desire. Turn box upside down as soon as you are done placing the mousse inside.
Place any additional whipped cream and berries (and whatever else you think might work) on top of your box to decorate and enjoy!