Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups

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Embrace fall flavors with these Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups! This light and fluffy mousse is made with real pumpkin, for an authentic pumpkin spice taste. It’s served in a cute edible candy bowl that even looks like half of a pumpkin!

Pumpkin mousse made with real pumpkin

I hate that the popularity of pumpkin spice lattes has given pumpkin spice anything a bad name. Loving pumpkin-flavored desserts doesn’t mean you’re boring or basic, it just means you have good taste and a hearty appreciation for one of fall’s best flavors. Viva la pumpkin spice forever!

I’ve created a delicious pumpkin spice mousse, perfect for this transitional time between summer and fall. It’s full of great autumn flavors, but the light and fluffy texture doesn’t feel too heavy for these in-between days when temperatures are still warm.

How to Make Easy Pumpkin Spice Mousse

The mousse is actually a cheater’s mousse. Traditionally, mousse is made with whipped egg whites or yolks or both, and it’s a little fiddly and time-consuming. This version retains all of the great texture of traditional mousse, but with less work and precision required. Score!

This mousse is made with white chocolate, heavy cream, real pumpkin puree, LOTS of pumpkin pie spice, and whipped cream. The cream gives it a wonderfully light texture, while the white chocolate and a touch of gelatin keep it stable at room temperature. If you want to increase the pumpkin spice vibe, you can substitute pumpkin spice coffee creamer for the heavy cream, and it works beautifully.

If you don’t eat gelatin, you can just omit that step. The mousse’s texture will be softer, and it should be kept refrigerated at all times, but it should still work out just fine.

I couldn’t decide how I wanted to top the mousse cups. I knew there had to be whipped cream–duh–but what else? A sprinkle of cinnamon, a pinch of gingersnap crumbs, or a simple dash of fall sprinkles?

In the end, I opted to use some orange nonpareils and pumpkin candies/sprinkles, but I honestly think all of the above would have worked well! Next time I’ll probably go for the gingersnap crumbs with a chunk of gingersnap cookie sticking out of the whipped cream for good measure.

I haven’t even gotten to my favorite part of this recipe yet–the edible candy bowls! They’re made from orange candy coating (also called candy melts), and molded in mini bundt pans. The bundt shape makes them look like little half-pumpkins, and you could even add a jack-o-lantern face with edible markers or melted chocolate if you want!

I mostly enjoyed the edible chocolate bowls for show, and I found myself eating the mousse and then taking just a few nibbles of the bowl. But my son and husband both devoured their bowls completely, so it was definitely worth the time it took to make them! You can also buy pumpkin spice flavoring oil to add to your candy coating if you want to double the pumpkin spice flavor of this dessert.

More Pumpkin Spice Desserts You’ll Love:

• Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Truffles
• Pumpkin Bundt Cakes
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups with Edible Candy Pumpkin Bowls

5 from 2 votes

By Elizabeth LaBau

Embrace fall flavors with these Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups! This light and fluffy mousse is made with real pumpkin, for an authentic pumpkin spice taste. It’s served in an edible candy bowl that even looks like half of a pumpkin! 

My mini bundt pan had 1-cup cavities, but if your pan is larger or smaller, your final yield will be different. You can use other molds or pans (silicone or nonstick metal), or you can skip the edible bowl entirely and just pour the mousse into dessert bowls or ramekins.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Chilling Time 30 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Yield 6 1-cup servings

Calories 574 kcal

Ingredients

 

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US Standard or Metric

• ▢ 18 oz orange candy coating, or a mix of orange, yellow, and brown
• ▢ 14 oz white chocolate chips, (2 1/3 cups)
• ▢ ¾ cup heavy cream, or pumpkin spice coffee creamer
• ▢ 4.25 oz pumpkin puree, (1/2 cup)
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ Orange gel food coloring, I use Americolor brand
• ▢ 1 TBSP unflavored powdered gelatin
• ▢ 3 TBSP cold water
• ▢ 1 ½ cups heavy cream

CUSTOMIZE: 6 1-cup servings

Instructions

 

To Make the Edible Candy Pumpkin Bowls:

• You’ll need a clean, dry mini bundt pan made of nonstick metal or silicon. Place the candy coating in a medium bowl, and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating, until the coating is melted and smooth. I like to use mostly orange coating, with a few yellow and brown wafers thrown in, to make more of a “pumpkin” color. You can stick with plain orange if that’s what you have on hand.
• Dollop several large spoonfuls of melted coating in the bottom of one of the mini bundt cavities. Use a clean, wide brush to brush the melted coating up the sides of the pan in an even layer. Avoid covering the center core with any coating. Repeat until all of the cavities are lined with coating.
• Refrigerate the pan to set the coating, for 10-15 minutes. If there are any sparse or streaky areas on the sides, go back with a second coat and fill in any gaps in the coating. Refrigerate until completely firm.
• Gently remove the bowls from the bundt pan. If the coating is cold, it should be easy to slide from the nonstick metal or pop out of the silicon mold. Trim any excess coating from around the edges of the center hole, and place the bowls on a baking sheet covered with parchment.
• Warm up the remaining candy coating, and dollop a spoonful into the hole in the center of each bowl, until the hole is filled. Chill the bowls until set. Your candy bowls are now ready to be filled with mousse!

To Make the Pumpkin Spice Mousse:

• Combine the white chocolate chips and heavy cream (or pumpkin spice coffee creamer) in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, whisking every 30 seconds, until the white chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Add the pumpkin puree, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl, and whisk them in. Add 5-7 drops of orange gel food coloring (optional) and whisk it in as well. (The color will look very dark right now, but will lighten later once the whipped cream is added.) Set the white chocolate bowl aside to cool until it’s slightly warm or room temperature, stirring occasionally.
• While you wait for the chocolate mixture to cool, prepare the gelatin. Whisk together the gelatin and the cold water in a small bowl, and set it aside to let the gelatin absorb the water.
• Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks, and set it aside for a moment.
• When the white chocolate is at room temperature, it’s showtime! Microwave the bowl of gelatin for 10-12 seconds, until it is melted. Whisk the melted gelatin and white chocolate mixture together.
• Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate, and once it’s incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.
• Divide the pumpkin spice mousse between the edible candy bowls, filling each with a generous cup of mousse, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to firm up the gelatin. (Overnight refrigeration is fine, too!) To serve, top the mousse bowls with a swirl of whipped cream and a shake of cinnamon, a pinch of crushed gingersnap cookies, a few sprinkles, or fall candies.

Video

Recipe Notes

The nutrition information provided in the recipe card is for the mousse itself, not including the candy bowl. If you eat the mousse and the entire candy bowl, the total calories are 1050 calories. 

MEASURING TIPS

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.

Nutrition

Calories: 574 kcal | Carbohydrates: 42 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 43 g | Saturated Fat: 26 g | Cholesterol: 95 mg | Sodium: 86 mg | Potassium: 275 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 39 g | Vitamin A: 4020 IU | Vitamin C: 1.6 mg | Calcium: 178 mg | Iron: 0.5 mg

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