There’s a few distinct flavours that I associate with Christmas. Warming spices of course, creamy Bailey’s (or now my version of it) and crispy Bubble and Squeak. And there’s another one – Terry’s Chocolate Orange, even though I haven’t eaten one for years!
There’s a lot of ritual around festivals and I guess I have fond memories of finding one at the bottom of my stocking, carefully unwrapping the foil so it didn’t tear followed by a solid tap on the table to loosen the segments. Then nibbling on each segment to make it last – as long as I hid it from my brother who seemed to enjoy eating mine as well as his!
As well as ritual, Terry’s Chocolate Orange has been cleverly marketed over the years too. I love the ones with Dawn French and her tagline ‘It’s not Terry’s, it mine’.Vegan chocolate products are readily available these days. Which is great if you don’t have to worry about saturated fat in your diet. But if you have any form of chronic health condition like heart or autoimmune disease, the cocoa butter in chocolate is off the menu as it’s around 52% saturated fat. Fortunately, on programs like Overcoming MS, cocoa or cacao powder are still ok. More than ok, in fact, as it contains some healthful nutrients like magnesium and strong anti-inflammatory polyphenols that act as an antioxidant and are particularly good for brain health. Check this article out if you’re curious to find out more.
This recipe is made for anyone who craves that chocolate orange flavour but has to avoid solid chocolate. It’s super quick to make, contains only a few ingredients and you can make it as orangey or sweet as you desire. Orange oil or orange extract are best to use for the flavour. If you can’t find that then whatever orange flavouring your store has will do.
If you are looking for a decadent gluten free dessert, then this is a great option. No one needs feel left out and it’s not hard for the host to make.
Most vegan chocolate mousse recipes, unsurprisingly, use chocolate for solidity. So I needed to find a suitable alternative. Silken tofu is a great base to start from as it’s super smooth when blended and takes on flavour really well. However, on it’s own, it was more of a thick sauce than mousse. Adding a little nut butter helped both the richness and stability. If you need to avoid nuts then try pumpkin seed butter or tahini (although this might affect the final flavour).
This recipe creates 2 very large and satsifyingly rich mousses. It will stretch to 3 rather more normal sizes if you need it too. Chilling in the fridge helps the mix to set so make it at least a couple of hours in advance. It will happily stay there for up to 4 days, but I can’t imagine that would happen very often!
I hope you enjoy making this delicious, rich chocolate orange alternative this festive season. And remember, if someone else tries to eat it, it’s not Terry’s, it’s yours 😉
Vegan chocolate orange mousse
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place all the ingredients except the orange extract and peel into the small blender bowl. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Add a little orange extract and blend. Check for flavour and add more as needed. Go carefully as it could end up too overwhelming.
- Spoon into small dishes. Garnish with orange peel and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I feel joy and amazement to find a low saturated dessert recipe, and a chocolate one (I miss it)!
Have you tried this with gelatin at all as a stabilizer? (I’ve read that if you stir gelatin periodically as it sets, it creates a pudding consistency verses a set jello consistency). I’d love to reduce some calories to allow me more chances to indulge!
Hi Lucy.I’m glad you like the recipe. I don’t use gelatin in my recipes as I only create plant-based recipes and gelatin is an animal product. But I think you’ll be happy with the calories in this dessert – 168 for a delicious chocolately mousse is not bad! Also it’s high in protein and other nutrients so a win all round.