5 Rich and Creamy Chocolate Desserts That are Perfect After Heavy Thanksgiving Dinner, Minus the Fullness and Bloating

Thanksgiving is all about families coming together with loved ones, and feasting on a delicious spread of meat and sweet desserts. Unfortunately, chocolate is not part of the festivities, so if you have a table full of people with a serious case of sweet tooth, then you need to make and serve these desserts to your guests.

Something absolutely unique to the USA, Thanksgiving marks the commemoration of the Autumn harvest feast between the colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people, where they broke bread for the first time. Since then, Thanksgiving has become a national holiday in the country and is observed by all Christians across the globe on the 4th Thursday of November every year.

While turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry brie are traditional fares on the Thanksgiving dinner table, why not add to the fun and add some chocolate after the belly-bursting meal? There is always room for dessert, especially when they have chocolate and are ultra-smooth on your tongue minus the heaviness.

1. Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

• 200 gm dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 150 ml heavy cream
• 1 tbsp corn syrup or glucose syrup

Instructions:

• Place the chocolate pieces in a medium heatproof bowl.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat until steaming. Do not boil.
• Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate pieces. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then gently stir until smooth and glossy.
• Transfer the chocolate fondue to a fondue pot or small saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Serve immediately with fresh fruit like strawberries, banana slices, pineapple chunks or marshmallows for dipping.
• Enjoy straight from the fondue pot! Make sure to keep it warm over low heat as the fondue will harden as it cools.

2. Chocolate mousse

Ingredients:

• 200 gm Cadbury Bournville Dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 4 eggs, separated
• 100 gm refined sugar
• 500 ml double cream

Instructions:

• Put the Cadbury Bournville Dark pieces in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.
• Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 50 gm of the sugar until thick and pale.
• Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually whisk in the remaining 50 gm of sugar until stiff peaks form. Then whip the cream until soft peaks form.
• Stir a spoonful of the melted chocolate into the egg yolk mixture to loosen, then fold in the remaining chocolate.
• Gently fold in a third of the egg whites, then a third of the whipped cream. Repeat until all are incorporated but still light and airy.
• Divide the mousse between serving glasses or bowls and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

3. Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

• 500 ml milk
• 100 gm sugar
• 50 gm cocoa powder
• 25 gm cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into individual serving dishes.
• Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

4. Hot chocolate with Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 500 ml milk (you can use whole milk, or non-dairy milk like almond milk)
• 100 gm chocolate (dark, milk, or white chocolate), chopped or mini chips
• 1 tbsp sugar or honey (optional)
• Whipped cream for topping

Instructions:

• In a saucepan, heat the milk until it is steaming but not boiling.
• Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Stir in the sugar or honey if using. Taste and add more if desired.
• Pour the hot chocolate into mugs.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. You can add 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar or vanilla extract to sweeten the whipped cream while whipping.
• Top each mug of hot chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream.

5. Chocolate-covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

• 250 gm fresh strawberries, washed and dried
• 150 gm semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil (optional)

Instructions:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Skewer each strawberry with a toothpick, leaving about 1 cm of the toothpick exposed. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil (if using) together in a double boiler or microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
• Holding the toothpick, dip each strawberry halfway into the melted chocolate, twisting to coat.
• Lift out and allow excess chocolate to drip off before placing back on the baking sheet.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the chocolate is set.