Ina Garten’s Quick and Easy Chocolate Mousse Is the Perfect Last-Minute Dessert for Valentine’s Day

Fancy dinner reservations, heart-shaped arrangements, engraved jewelry — these are all great Valentine’s Day ideas, but the only issue is that they involve some planning on your part. But what if you let Valentine’s Day sneak up on you this year? What if one day was January 1, and then all of a sudden you check the calendar, and it’s February 14? If time passed by and you didn’t get to splurge on a gift for your loved one this year, there’s no need to fret.

Ina Garten shared a recipe a few days ago on her Instagram for an easy chocolate mousse, and it might just save my — I mean, your — Valentine’s Day. The best part? It can be pulled off in a few steps and doesn’t involve any complicated ingredients. 

What I love most about this recipe is that it is super chocolatey and uses chopped-up bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate (Ina recommends using Lindt, and who are we to argue?). It also uses freshly brewed espresso for some more bitterness and a bit of Kahlúa for a nice kick. 

“For Valentine’s Day, only a totally decadent chocolate dessert will do,” Ina writes in her post. “My Easy Chocolate Mousse can be made ahead so it’s ready whenever you are. It’s a sweet way to end a very special dinner.” The recipe suggests you chill the bowls for at least two hours or overnight, so get working on it ASAP!

If you have more time to go shopping after you pop these in the fridge, though, we suggest picking up this $10 Costco grocery item that will give you all the Valentine’s Day feels or these five little luxuries to pick up at Trader Joe’s for $5 or Less. 

I agree with Ina that this can be a nice way to end a special dinner, or maybe it can be the gift itself — or at least I hope so!

Get the full recipe here.