Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse

I asked ET what he wanted me to make for dinner, and he said he wanted "those triangle shaped candies." Candy corn for dinner?...Yes, ET is a pretty healthy eater, but when it comes to the sweets he definitely knows a thing or two (a lot like his mom, I guess). :)

I had seen this idea on website a while back, and although it looked a bit tedious, I knew it would be the perfect surprise for ET. A friend of mine picked me up these beautiful mini trifle dishes at Walmart. We had gone shopping together at the General Store in Minnetonka and they were being sold for $5.00 a piece. I had fallen in love with them, but I knew I couldn't afford them at that price. Luckily she had seen them for only $1.99 at Walmart! :) They are the perfect size and design for any individual dessert (puddings, trifles, yogurt parfaits, ice cream, mousse, fruit, etc.).

This dessert is a sweet and fluffy cheesecake flavored mousse. It is just thick enough, and surprisingly filling. The garnish is chocolate pumpkins and candy corn. The pumpkins were a whole easier to make than I thought they would be. The whole thing was tedious, but a lot of fun to make. I was happy to see that it only made four - perfect for our family.

The chocolate pumpkin idea was found on Jamie Cooks It Up! These pumpkins would also be perfect as cupcake toppers. Really you can make anything this way. I have seen chocolate numbers for birthdays or anniversaries...the possibilities are endless!

Cheesecake Recipe from Glorious Treats

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature!
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

orange and yellow food color
candy corn (for garnish)

Directions ~
Beat cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until fully smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, then milk (or cream). Add vanilla. Continue mixing. Beat about 1 minute on medium to medium-high speed. Fold cool whip into cream cheese mixture, and stir until fully combined.

Scoop about 1/3 of the Cheesecake Mousse into a bowl (each color ended up being 1 1/2 cups), and color orange. Color another third of the mixture yellow. Leave the remaining third white. One color at a time (starting with yellow), scoop mixture into a piping bag or large ziplock bag, and squeeze a layer of the Cheesecake Mousse into small dessert dishes of your choice. Tap the bowl on the counter to create an even layer. Repeat with orange and then white Mousse.

Refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before serving. Garnish with candy corn if desired.

Recipe yields 4 servings.

Chocolate Pumpkin Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 t Crisco
wax paper
cake decorating bag and small tip, or a ziploc bag.


1. To make the cute little chocolate pumpkins, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Only let them cook for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each cooking interval. You don't want the chocolate to burn! Stir in the Crisco when they are almost melted.
2. You can use a zip lock baggie to pipe the chocolate into pumpkins. Just snip (a very tiny snip) the edge of the bag after you have filled it with the chocolate. I used a cake decorating bag with a small tip (#3)...it gave me a lot more control over where the chocolate was going.
3. Place a sheet of wax paper onto a cookie sheet that will easily slide into your freezer. Draw the pumpkins onto the wax paper. Don't worry if they are lop sided, or not the same shape or size. That's the fun of drawing pumpkins, they don't have to match...they can all be different.
4. Slide the cookie sheet into the freezer so the chocolate will harden back up. The chocolate will harden really quickly, but keep them in there until you are ready for them. The chocolate melts really fast, so when removing them from the wax paper work quickly and do not handle them a long time.





The boys loved them!! Totally worth it. :)