No Bake Caramel Cheesecake Mousse with Candied Walnuts
yields: 6 small cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese (blocked)
- 3 tablespoons caramel sauce, recipe below, but in a pinch, good-quality store-bought will work too
- ½ cup candied walnuts, recipe below, but again, store-bought candied nuts will work too
- 1 cup crumbled ginger snaps, I use Trader Joe's gluten-free ginger snaps because they're extra crispy and crumbly. I crush it until there are still a few pieces just smaller than a dime
INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the whipped cream on high speed until it begins to froth, a couple of minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until soft peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer (no need to clean it), add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the caramel sauce and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Fold in the whipped cream and mix on low-speed until completely smooth.
- Divide the ginger snaps among the 6 small dessert cups or mason jars (If you use mason jars, you can put the lid on and take it to go!), creating about a ½-inch layer of ginger snaps in the bottom.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a large tip*, pipe the mousse into the jars over the top of the ginger snaps.
- Top with a sprinkling of candied walnuts.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Keep any leftovers covered and chilled for up to two days.
Notes
*If you don't have a piping bag and pastry tips, you can also cut the corner off of a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or just scoop the cheesecake mousse into the dessert cups.
