Pumpkin Lover.
Oh so you see the word pumpkin and you just have to check it out? Me to. Let’s just assume you are here because you love everything pumpkin just as much as I do. Don’t get me wrong; I love all things apple just as much.
As much as I love being outside by the pool in the summer and being nice and toasty warm in that hot summer sunshine. I’d have to say fall may be my favorite season. The crisp morning air, the changing of the leaves, apple picking, pumpkin picking, cozy sweaters, I could go on and on.
Half of my family loves all things pumpkin and the other loves all things apple. Can you believe my husband and kids have only been apple picking once in their entire lives? For real! It’s one of my favorite fall things to do. We have tried to go again but our weekends book up fast in the fall with being back to school and sports.
This may be our year to go again. Hopefully, Covid doesn’t ruin it for us! I just don’t think its truly fall unless you have filled yourself with a bunch of pumpkin-flavored dishes. Coffee, pie, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin cookies (my favorite!) pumpkin bars, pumpkin mousse, you know, why don’t we just go ahead and add pumpkin flavoring to everything from September to December?
I thought I’d share this easy pumpkin mousse recipe with you. Maybe you have guests coming over and you want to make a quick dessert or you just want to sit on the couch watching netflix while stuffing your face. Hey, we all do it from time to time.
If you want to test out this recipe you do not need anything fancy. I use my KitchenAid mixer and that’s about it. You could use a hand mixer but I find it easier to just let the Kitchenaid run for a few minutes.
I like to top this with a nice maple frosting… Mmmm. You can’t ever go wrong with maple. I even make maple bacon cupcakes! Let’s not go into those because they need a whole post of their own.
You can easily make this pumpkin mousse in less than 15 minutes! You will need to allow yourself to have time to “chill” it in the fridge. You can get one or two Netflix shows in while it’s chilling.
I personally like it just the way the recipe calls for. Adding it to a dish and topping with the maple frosting. If you want to get a little fancier…you could pick up a pre-made graham cracker pie shell pour the pumpkin mousse into it and top it with the maple frosting.
If you are taking it to a friend or family’s house for dinner this would work well. They would surely they would think you spent all day on it! In reality- 15 minutes and then put it in the fridge until you are ready to go. Done! You can’t go wrong.
Now…I know some of you like pumpkin but don’t like pumpkin spice. Yes, there is a difference. If you don’t want the “spice” taste you can use ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves instead of the actual pumpkin pie spice.
That’s how I make my pumpkin pies. I don’t use the pumpkin pie spice. I supplement instead. Now, this pumpkin mousse is gluten-free and I’m going to pretend it’s healthy!
Mix your heavy whipping cream with the maple syrup for about 2-4 minutes. Once you have a nice frosting consistency you can transfer it to a bowl and set it in the fridge.
After you make your maple frosting its time for the best part! Pumpkin Mousse! Add your pumpkin, cream cheese, spices, vanilla, and half & half and start mixing. You want to mix it until its thoroughly blended. About 4 minutes on medium speed. The longer you mix is the thicker it will get.
Once it’s well blended you can divide it into small serving dishes and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Then top it with the frosting. If you want to get fancy you can top it with a pecan, sprinkle with cinnamon, or serve with gingersnap cookies. Its so good with gingersnap cookies! It tastes like heaven in your mouth.
What are you waiting for? Go make this yummy fall treat!
Pumpkin Mousse With Maple Frosting
Prep time: 10 minutes + time to chill
Cook time: n/a
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
6 T. real maple syrup, divided
1 15-oz. can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened, cubed
2 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. real vanilla extract
1/3 c. half & half
Optional:
Pecan halves
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Ginger Snap cookies, for serving
Directions:
- Beat the heavy whipping cream in a large bowl with a hand mixer until it doubles in size. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and continue beating until light and fluffy. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Beat the pumpkin purée, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, half &half, and remaining maple syrup in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until thoroughly blended.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired, and transfer to individual dessert bowls. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
To serve, remove from refrigerator and top with maple whipped cream, pecans, and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, if you want. Enjoy!
Tell me what your favorite fall treats are. Are you team pumpkin or team apple? Or are you like me and just love all things fall??
