Chocolate Bowls with Peanut Butter Mousse, Peanut Butter Cup Crumbles and a Chocolate Dipped Pretzel
How often do you have a dessert served to you in a bowl that you can eat? I’m thinking not very often, unless you count eating ice cream in a waffle cone, but that’s not overly fancy. But these chocolate balloon cups – now that’s fancy! What better than eating your dessert AND being able to eat the bowl? Think dessert times two – who doesn’t like twice as much dessert?
If you follow along with us on Instagram, you might have seen some of the sneak peeks I posted about this recipe. Well, maybe I should say the setbacks I encountered in trying to make chocolate balloon cups. The first set of chocolate balloon cups were a disaster. Just check out this picture and you’ll understand. But after a few fails, I learned some tricks.
Here is what I call “Beth’s Tips for Making the Perfect Chocolate Balloon Cups/Bowls”
1. Use Candiquik Chocolate, not chocolate chips
2. Spray the balloons with a tiny bit of non-stick cooking spray
3. Be patient – let the chocolate set on the balloons for 1 hour (okay, this may be a bit lengthy, but 20 minutes isn’t enough time)
4. Once the chocolate has hardened, let the air out of the balloons as slowly as possible – whatever you do, do NOT pop the balloon with a knife or scissors, if you do you will end up with chocolate bowls that look similar to the fail I posted on Instagram.
5. Make extras just in case some break while taking the balloons out
So now that you know how to make chocolate bowls, you have to figure out what to put inside of them! Nothing is better than the chocolate and peanut butter combo, so I filled ours with homemade peanut butter mousse, peanut butter cup crumbles and a chocolate dipped pretzel. When I make dessert, I go big!
Ingredients
- Water balloons
- Candiquik chocolate
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Peanut butter cups, chopped
- Pretzels dipped in extra Candiquik chocolate
Instructions
- Inflate your water balloons to your desired size. Set them aside.
- Melt the candiquik chocolate according the instructions on the package. The amount you should melt will depend on how many bowls you want to make. Let the melted chocolate sit for several minutes to prevent popping the balloons.
- Once the chocolate is ready, spray the balloons with a small amount of cooking spray, and dip each balloon into the chocolate. I suggest dipping each balloon at least 2 times to build up the chocolate walls. Place the balloons on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to help harden the chocolate.
- While the chocolate bowls are setting, make the chocolate dipped pretzels by dipping pretzels into the extra chocolate. Place the dipped pretzels on wax paper and set aside.
- Once the chocolate is set, use a pin or a cut a very small hole with a scissors in the balloon to let the air out slowly. As the air is releasing, the balloon will shrink and pull away from the chocolate. If the balloon sticks to the bottom of the chocolate bowl, use your fingers to carefully pull the balloon out.
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl combine the peanut butter and cream cheese. Once combined, mix in the confectioners sugar. Slowly combine the whip cream and peanut butter mixture, stirring until combine.
- Carefully fill the chocolate cups with peanut butter mousse. Top with chopped peanut butter cups and a chocolate dipped pretzel.
Will I be making more chocolate bowls? You bet! They are so fun to serve to a crowd.
Gah! Those chocolate bowls are so stinkin’ cute! I love how easy they are to make and that filling looks great too!
Thank you Brandy! It’s the perfect combo!
Not only very delicious looking but quite impressive too; very nicely done, Beth!
Thanks for your kind comment Dan!
I am absolutely drooling over these. I’ve seen the balloon trick before but never tried it. These would be fantastic for a birthday party.
Thank you Christie! Great for either a kids party or an adult party!
This is a dream of mine to have my two favorite indulgences placed in one dessert; peanut-butter and chocolate! beautiful. Blessings, Catherine
Your dream is coming true!
I made some of them last year and you’re so right! They are a pain! Yours came out beautifully – and the filling combination sounds great!
They can be finicky to make, but so worth it!
The chocolate bowls are cute and a great party idea. I think though for everyday, I’ll just stick with the peanut butter mousse and top it off with the chocolate covered pretzels…that sounds heavenly!!
Oh yes, I don’t just make these everyday.. I wish!!
These are adorable! Perfect for get togethers of the little and “big” kids alike :)
Totally agree Amanda!
I saw a demo of similar chocolate bowls last year, but I had completely forgotten about them. What a fun way to serve (and eat!) chocolate!
A demo would have certainly helped me out!
Love the edible bowls – they are super cute! But what I love even more, is the peanut butter mousse?! That sounds AMAZING!
Are you a peanut butter lover?!
These filled chocolate bowls look amazing – every chocolate addict’s dream! Those darn bowls can be so hard to make but you definitely perfected them above. Love the pictures :).
Thank you Jessica! These definitely satisfy my sweet tooth!
These would make such a pretty desert for a special occasion! I love your tips for making chocolate bowls too! Good to know!
I hope you get a chance to make some Mallory :-)
These are so fun! Can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate!
I totally agree Jessica!
Oh wow! Those are adorable and so impressive!!! They look incredibly delicious too! I wish I could sample one right now! Chocolate and peanut butter are my weakness so my mouth is watering. YUM!
Thank you Jamie! I am sure you would LOVE it if you’re a chocolate and peanut butter fan!
i tried this once a few yers ago and the balloon popped cause the chocolate was hot and i had chocolate on my ceiling hahaha
Hahaha!! I am so sorry that happened! Cooled chocolate is important!
These are so adorable, Beth! Love the chocolate bowls and that peanut butter mousse sounds incredible! Love how fun they are to make too :)
Fun to make and fun to eat, bonus points I think!