Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse Cups

The Foodies' KitchenJuly 13, 2016

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Sometimes you want both things. You can’t choose one or the other. So when it comes to desserts, why settle? You can combine the best of both worlds and go out with a big win. This time, we found gorgeous, sweet, bright red strawberries that were too much of a gem to pass by.

We decided to get those strawberries, and our dessert would be a combo: mousse meets cheesecake. We wanted something that wouldn’t need any baking but instead be chilled for a few hours. Summer is here, and seems that it extended its visit.

We got a small food processor and a hand mixer from Siman, both from KitchenAid, which turned into our best allies. Using the food processor we pureed the strawberries until we got a smooth mix, straining the seeds. In a medium bowl, we whipped the heavy cream, adding a bit of the confectioners sugar. After that, in a big mixing bowl, we mixed the cream cheese with the vanilla and the remaining confectioners sugar. That’s our base.

Now for the gelatin, we recommend following the package instructions. We sprinkled the gelatin granules over cold water, then let it stand for a few minutes and then heated the bowl briefly in the microwave. If you wish to read more on how to use gelatin, we recommend this great article by David Lebovitz.

When your gelatin is ready and still warm and liquid, mix it in with the strawberry puree, and add it to the cream cheese base, beating it well with your hand mixer. Finish it all by gently folding the whipping cream by hand and chilling the mixture for 30 minutes or more. This will ensure that your mousse will set enough so you can easily pipe it into your glasses for serving. We loved the glasses we got from Almacenes Siman Guatemala, as they are curved (not your usual straight cylinder shape), giving the dessert a more playful look.

For the base we used Galletas María, but you can use graham crackers if you prefer. Set the cookie crumbs on the base of the glasses and, for better results, pipe your mousse in. You can use a piping bag, or a big zip lock bag to do the piping with. Garnish with whipped cream, strawberry slices and mint leaves. These keep good for a few days, so you can definitely make them ahead if planning a gathering at home.

Kitty & Helga

Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse Cups

Recipe by Cooking Classy
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients, for the crust:
100g. of Maria cookies (to make 1 cup of crushed cookies)
2 tablespoons of sugar
¼ cup melted unsalted butter

Ingredients, for the mousse:
3 ½ cups of fresh strawberries, cut in half
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
12 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon of gelatin powder
3 tablespoons of cold water

Ingredients, for the topping:
ready to use whipped cream
8 fresh strawberries
Mint leaves

Directions, for the crust:

Place the cookies in a zip-lock bag, close it and crush them with a rolling-pin. Add the crushed cookies to a mixing bowl, along the sugar and the melted butter, mix until evenly moistened with a fork until it looks like wet sand. Set aside.

Directions, for the mousse:

Pulse the strawberries in a food processor until pureed. Then, pass through a fine mesh sieve, using the back of a spoon to push it through to remove its seeds. You will have about 1⅓ cups of strained puree. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl using the hand mixer, whip the heavy cream on high-speed until soft peaks form. Add in ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
In a separate large mixing bowl using hand mixer, blend cream cheese, vanilla extract and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar until combined. Increase to high-speed and whip until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
In a small microwave safe bowl, pour 3 tablespoons of water and sprinkle gelatin evenly over water then let rest 5 minutes.
Heat gelatin mixture in microwave on high power for 30 seconds so it becomes liquid. Remove and whisk for 1 minute. Don’t let it cool completely or it may start to set.
Add gelatin to the strawberry puree, mixing well with your hand mixer. Then, add this into the cream cheese and mix until well combined. Fold in ⅓ of the whipped cream mixture, then add remaining and fold just until combined. Transfer to refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

Directions, for assembly and toppings:

Divide evenly the crushed cookies into the 8 glasses and press them down in an even layer.
Add mousse to a piping bag with the tip cut off about ½-inch, pipe the mousse in the prepared cups. Cover cups with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 3 hours until set.
To decorate, you can use store-bought whipped cream to add the final topping. Use one strawberry and mint leaf per cup as decoration.

Notes:

When pipping the mousse, it will be slightly runny, so you can help yourself with a spoon when moving from cup to cup.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen

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