Mini Chocolate Mousse Cups

I had a vision of mini chocolate mousse desserts in little cups with tiny silver spoons for a dessert at my Pampered Chef Party...  I had the mini cups (from the dollar tree!  Thanks Haleigh for the tip!  (Check out her fabulous blog:  Partleigh Put-Together ) and I had the mini spoons but I had no idea what to do about the mousse!  Being 7 months pregnant, I cannot consume any raw egg (and really you never should) but most real mousse recipes call for egg whites.  I decided to use chocolate pudding mix to make my egg-less mousse and it came out super yummy!   This is definitely a fun dessert for a party and it made A TON!


Mini Chocolate Mousse Cups
makes approx 48 mini cups

Ingredients:

• (1) 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• (1) cup cold water
• (1) 3.9oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
• (1) cup whipping cream, whipped
• 1/2 Package Oreos, Crushed
• Redi-Whip

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and water.  Add pudding mix; beat well.  Chill 5 minutes.  While the pudding mixture was chilling I whipped the whipping cream until soft peaks formed.  Fold whipped cream into pudding mixture.  Spoon chocolate mousse mixture into mini cups.  Crush 1/2 package of oreos and sprinkle crushed oreo on top of the chocolate mousse.  You can put these in the fridge tightly covered the day before your party.  When you are ready to serve, remove from fridge and top each mousse with RediWhip and put a tiny silver spoon it it!  Serve on a large platter.  Enjoy!

Mini Cups from Dollar Tree and Mini Silver Spoons from Party City

Pumpkin Bars!

It has been an incredibly hot summer here on the east coast!  I find myself longing for FALL to get here so I can enjoy cooler weather, jeans and of course "comfort food!"   One thing that always makes it feel like Fall is anything pumpkin!  I had a Pampered Chef party a week ago and decided to make a batch of pumpkin bars-- I think it was my form of a "Fall Dance" to bring on the cooler weather sooner!  This was an easy make-ahead recipe and a party pleaser!!

Here is the recipe!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin "Cheesecake" Bars

Ingredients:

• (1) 16oz package yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
• (1) 8oz package cream cheese, softened
• (1) 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• (1) 15oz can pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease bottom of 15 x 10 jellyroll pan.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 egg, (melted) butter and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice on low speed until crumbly.  Press mixture onto bottom of jellyroll pan.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat (softened) cream cheese on low until fluffy.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then remaining two eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Mix Well.
3. Pour over crust.  (You can add 1 cup of chopped pecans or another kind of nut at this point-I did not).  Bake 30-35 minutes or until set.  Cool.  Chill and cut into bars.  Store in refrigerator.