Divas: The four-ingredient, five-minute shortcut to Pumpkin Mousse

Do you know what’s missing in your life? One easy and delicious dessert recipe you can use at least seven different ways. With endless variations it’s like having, I don’t know, a zillion different recipes in one. Do I exaggerate? It’s possible. Is this Pumpkin Mousse recipe delectable? Yes. No exaggeration needed.

This recipe can be made with either whipped cream or frozen non-dairy whipped topping. The cream is all natural, lower in sugar yet higher in fat content.

The whipped topping makes this recipe incredibly easy to prepare. You decide what’s best for your family.

EASY PUMPKIN MOUSSE

Yield: 4 (1 cup) servings Time: 5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

1 ½ cups whipping cream OR (8 oz.) tub of whipped topping, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree

1 (5 oz.) box of dry vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Here’s How:

Whip cream, if using. Blend all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Spoon each serving into a bowl, chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Or enjoy one of the variations below.

You can jazz this up with lots of flavor variations. Switch up the pudding mix - French vanilla, butterscotch or caramel pudding. Add toppings like granola, crumbled cookies, nuts, coconut, chocolate or butterscotch chips, caramel, or maple syrup.

Serve as a dip - Plop this into a pretty bowl and serve with apple slices, vanilla wafers and graham crackers. Dip, eat, repeat.

Make Pie – Just dump the entire thing into a graham cracker or pre-baked pastry pie crust. Chill and serve with whipped cream.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake -Add 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese, whipped, to the mousse recipe above. Place filling in a graham cracker crust. Refrigerate one hour before serving. Top with additional whipped topping and nuts if desired.

No Bake Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake – Prepare as above, substituting caramel pudding for the vanilla. Drizzle with caramel topping.

Pumpkin Mousse Bars – Make a cookie crust. Crumble 25 golden sandwich cookies in a food processor or place cookies in a zip-top bag and smack them with a rolling pin. Mix with four tablespoons melted butter and press into an 8x8-inch baking pan. Bake crust at 375°F for 15 minutes. Spoon a layer of mousse (with cream cheese or without) on top of the crust. Top with a layer of whipped cream or topping and refrigerate. Garnish with cinnamon.

Filling for Cake – Spread mousse between two layers of cake or use as frosting. I suggest spice cake, yellow, chocolate, butter pecan, carrot cake, caramel cake, okay, just about any cake.

Layered in a Trifle - We love gingerbread trifles this time of year. Cube gingerbread and alternate layers of cake with mousse and whipped cream. Add toasted pecans and dust with cinnamon on top.

Pumpkin is thought of as a seasonal flavor but this light, cool and fluffy dessert is delicious year-round. For more variations, visit our website. The ingredients wait in the pantry and freezer to be ready whenever you need a quick treat. Life is unpredictable, so it’s nice to know you’re only four ingredients and five minutes away from dessert. Right?

Fabulous Food by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! NEW website and blog - www.divasonadime.com