These delicious mini Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee Crunch & Cran-Raspberry Sauce will be the highlight of any Thanksgiving dessert table!
I have been waiting all year for Fall to arrive in Los Angeles, along with “The Great Pumpkin” from Charlie Brown. Or maybe I am just looking for an excuse to make something with pumpkin. Either way, this recipe is in my standard fall rotation. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Today’s Recipe: Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee Crunch
Making this treat in mini dessert glasses helps everyone with portion control, and looks oh so impressive. You can buy the mini dessert glasses at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Start the recipe by making a simple toffee brittle, then mixing whip cream with pumpkin and spices. You can make the cran-raspberry sauce in advance and freeze. The leftover sauce is also great on ice cream.
Assembly of these festive desserts is a bit messy but well worth the effort. I suggest using a piping bag to fill the glasses with pumpkin. Make your own by using a plastic bag with a corner cut off.
Note: You can make Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee Crunch ahead of time and freeze it, which makes this great for transporting to a party. You can also double the recipe and make it in a trifle bowl.
No matter what shape dish you put this dessert in, it always looks beautiful.
Recipe reposted from October 12, 2012
Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee Crunch and Cran-Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
Toffee Crunch
- Vegetable oil
- 1 package baking toffee bits such as Heath or Skor, in the baking section next to chocolate chips
- 8 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Mousse
- 1 3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Cranberry Sauce
- 1 package fresh or frozen cranberries 12 oz
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup raspberry vinegar
- 1 package frozen raspberries 12 oz
Instructions
For Toffee Crunch:
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; brush generously with vegetable oil. Toss toffee bits, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and toss to coat. Place mixture in center of prepared sheet; pat to single layer. Bake until toffee bits are soft (but retain shape), about 8-10 minutes. Watch closely as this will burn quickly. Cool crunch completely on sheet. Transfer to work surface; chop coarsely, saving bigger pieces for topping the dessert.
For Pumpkin Mousse:
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Whisk 3/4 cup whipping cream, sugar, and egg yolks in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened to pudding consistency, about 10 minutes (do not boil). Transfer mixture to large bowl. Mix in pumpkin, rum, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
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Beat remaining 1 cup cream in another large bowl until cream holds peaks. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Cover and refrigerate mousse at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
For Cran-Raspberry Sauce:
-
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and vinegar and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in raspberries during the last few minutes. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble dessert. This can be made in advance and frozen. Defrost before assembling dessert.
To Assemble Dessert:
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In each mini dish, add approximately 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Pipe or drop dollop of mousse in each goblet, then add 1 teaspoon of toffee crunch. Top with more pumpkin mousse. Cover; refrigerate or freeze overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Garnish with big Toffee Crunch pieces.
Quote of the Week
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis
I second that.
…and then she paused for thought.
Look at all the pumpkin!!! I haven’t gotten enough of pumpkin yet this fall, but did go to Waffle on Sunset Strip this past Saturday, and had pumpkin waffles with pumpkin mousse. I desperately wanted to re-create the whole dish too, and the pumpkin mousse was eluding me! It eludes me no longer! Thank you!!
I notice quite a few peeps from Camp Blogaway.. What event were you at?
Thanks Natalie. I can’t believe you were in LA and didn’t come the the Food Bloggers LA Monthly meeting! Hit Like on the FB page so you can find out when they are. You would love them! http://www.facebook.com/FoodBloggersLosAngeles?fref=ts
We go out there quite often for shows, and more recently for tattoo time! 🙂 I knew about FBLA, but it eludes me, much like pumpkin mousse! Haha Now they’re both found! Thanks again!
Now you’re talkin’ my language… everything sweet with the yummy taste of pumpkin! YUM! Everything looks awesome!
Cathy, I have a question: when you say to use toffee bits, is that plain toffee (not covered in chocolate, right?) because you mention Heath, but I thought that only comes with chocolate.
Christina, it is Hershey’s Heath Bits O Brickle Baking Pieces. You will find it next to the chocolate chips in the baking section. Here is a link to buy them online as well. Skor is another brand of toffee bits for baking. Don’t use the ones with chocolate or it will burn.
http://www.soap.com/p/hersheys-heath-bits-o-brickle-baking-piece-212551?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_S&utm_term=HSY-010&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1323237186&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla
I’m having a sugar high reading the recipe, but I LOVE pumpkin anything!! I think I will have to make my chicken with pumpkin recipe tomorrow!! All the dishes looked so beautiful. I need to take a class with Denise Vivaldi and learn how to do all that….
Wow this pumpkin mousse looks incredible!! I soo wish I could try some! Wonderful recipe, I have not seen anything like it =)
Thanks Kristi! It started out as one recipe and morphed into another at the last minute. And you know that can make the recipe a hit or miss. At the party is seemed to be a hit, so I was very happy! 🙂
This Pumpkin Mousse was the hit of the party. I am DEFINITELY making this one. Cathy, thanks so much for the recipe…and your food styling was superb!
Thanks Patricia! It was a lot of fun to throw together. Enjoy!
I especially love how you used different shapes of glass. Much more interesting than everything matching.
I am still feeling the taste of your creamy mousse on the tip of my tongue with that lovely hit of dark rum…and the cranberry and raspberry sauce with that gorgeous toffee crunch…WOW! What a clever girl! P.S. I adore your photographs!
Oh my, I’ll have one of each! Rona you piqued my interest by mentioning the chicken pumpkin recipe. Sounds yummy.
Gorgeous! Last night I decided I might just try to whip up some pumpkin something-something in little ramekins to make a gluten-free dessert, but you’ve given me some great add-on ideas!
OMG – I so have to make this!! I can never get enough pumpkin, and the toffee crunch and sauce sound like the perfect mousse companions. YUM!
The toffee crunch makes the dessert sing. I do hope you try it. It is my favorite fall desert.
Cathy, I love this recipe! Wishing people weren’t already “signed up” to bring pies to my Thanksgiving, b/c I would have had a go at this. I’ll have to do it for another fall party. YUM!
It is a nice variation for a Holiday party. 🙂
How in THE WORLD did I miss this recipe!! Oh my goodness this is fall all wrapped up in a beautiful package!! Love that you can freeze it as well – what could be better??? Well, aside from having it in front on me right now with a spoon!
Thanks Nancy, it is all of my fall favorites wrapped into one dessert. Enjoy!
Love the creamy with the crunchy, the sweet with the tart…nice recipe.
Thanks Karen, hope you enjoy it!
I’m doing a “tiny” Thanksgiving this year for two people and I want everything “contained”. Turkey stuffed portabello mushrooms, mini baked sweet potatoes (in skin), and now this. Thanks GREG
What a great idea Greg.
This dessert looks and sounds incredible! I LOVE the combination of flavors. Thank you for sharing, Cathy! 🙂
Thanks Nicole! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.