What was I doing my whole life, rolling out samosa dough by hand, perfecting the mother sauces, and simmering ramen broth for days on end? Why was I wasting my time baking cakes, smoothing ganache, and whipping a classic buttercream all for just one dish?! Why was I doing that.. when I could have been doing this? I had pretty low expectations for this chocolate mousse, after a string of ho-hum veganized recipes, like a cheesecake with tofu that tasted like.. tofu, and a chia seed ranch that tasted like almond milky water, with chia seeds. But this? This blew us all out of the water. The chocolate mousse itself, made from avocados, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar, in addition to uh, chocolate obviously, is seriously delicious on its own, but when I layered it with some conveniently vegan Oreos (well, we used the slightly less unhealthy organic version from the store), I almost cried. Tears of joy. Tears of glory. Tears of holy-crap-we-need-more-avocados-soy-sauce-and-balsamic vinegar. When you give this parfait some time in the fridge, the rich chocolate mousse seeps into the cookies, softening them for a perfect texture without being mushy, little clouds of white creme in there, a bit of added sweetness and kitschy throwback to your childhood dirt-cup days. No gummy worms here, y’all, just pure, unadulterated bliss. These are 100% perfect for Valentine’s Day, and what’s even better? They take maybe, oh, 5 minutes to throw together, and taste like you slaved in the kitchen all day, but only after you spent a year studying to be a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Yes, I’m saying this dessert tastes like it took 366 days to prepare, and let’s not even go into how healthy it is, minus the Oreos, of course. You can use any variety of sandwich cookie, and Newman’s Own Organics has some interesting and delicious flavors, like “Hint o’ Mint” or peanut butter. I don’t care what cookie you use; I really don’t. All I care is that you make these immediately. But be warned, your main squeeze will soon be asking you to “make a cake out of this”. I’m not joking. And then I realized.. that might just be the best idea he’s ever had. Thanks, hon. I mean.. you’re welcome. Thank you and you’re welcome. I’m going to go eat the last one. Glad you’re still at work so you can’t stop me and my greedy, grubby little hands. MAKE THESE! ALL CAPS! IT’S THAT IMPORTANT!
