Chocolate Panna Cotta

5 from 1 vote

These Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta are super quick and easy to make with a handful of ingredients. They make an incredibly indulgent and impressive dessert, perfect for a dinner party or special occasion.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Chilling Time5

Total Time5 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: to 6

Calories: 342kcal

Author: Sylvie

Ingredients

120 gr 70 % Dark Cooking Chocolate very finely chopped
5 gr (1 1/2 teaspoon) Gelatine Powder (platinum strength) plus 1 tablespoon cold water
300 ml Full Cream / Whole Milk
300 ml Thickened / Heavy Cream 35% fat
50 gr Caster Sugar

Instructions

Very finely chop your dark chocolate and set aside (see note 1).
Place the gelatine powder into a small bowl along with 1 to 2 tablespoon of very cold water (see note 2). Whisk well to fully dissolve the gelatine then set aside to set into a thick paste.
Place the milk, cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. Turn on medium low heat and bring to a simmer, occasionally whisking to insure the melted sugar is fully incorporated into the liquid.
As soon as the liquid is simmering, remove from the stove and directly add the gelatine paste. Whisk well to fully dissolve the gelatine into the hot liquid.
Add the finely chopped chocolate and leave for a minute to allow for the residual heat to start melting it. Gently whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and you get a very liquid chocolate mixture (see note 3).
Optionally, use an immersion blender and mix for a few seconds (don't over-mix to avoid creating air bubbles) to create an extra smooth mixture. Using a hand blender will insure the melted chocolate is completely incorporated into the cream, giving you a super silky texture.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into dessert cups, ramekins or your choice of serving bowl. Depending on the size of the cups, you should get 4 to 6 panna cottas.
You can also use silicone molds if you wanted to serve the chocolate panna cotta on a plate.
Loosely cover each cup with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill and set for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. The panna cotta should still slightly jiggle when fully set.

Notes

If using couverture chocolate that comes in the form of callets or pistoles, you can keep them whole if they are quite small; otherwise I recommend chopping them as well. Note that using chocolate chips is NOT recommended here.
The exact quantity of cold water required to rehydrate the powder can vary based on the brand of gelatine. Always check the packaging and use the brand's recommended amount of water.
If using gelatine leaves, you will need 3 sheets (platinum strength) rehydrated in very cold water and pressed to drain of any water.
It is essential that the chocolate is very finely chopped so that it easily melt into the hot liquid. Because the liquid will not be super hot at this point, any larger chunks of chocolate might not fully melt and you won't get a super smooth texture.

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