Impossibly Creamy Pumpkin Mousse

The emergence of pumpkin pie spice signals the beginning of fall. Besides using the sweet, spiced blend in lattes and pie, let me introduce you to pumpkin mousse, an easy yet elegant dessert. Each serving is filled with crunchy graham crackers, silky pumpkin mousse, and fluffy mascarpone whipped cream — all in an elegant glass. This dessert requires zero baking and comes together really quickly. 

• Graham crackers. You can use whole graham crackers that you crush or start with store-bought crumbs. Gingersnaps are a wonderful substitution if you want something spicier; just crush them until you have one cup of crumbs first.
• Butter. Melted butter helps toast up the graham cracker crumbs and adds a buttery flavor like a graham cracker crust.
• Heavy cream. Cream is used in both the pumpkin mousse and in the mascarpone whipped cream.
• Mascarpone cheese. This rich Italian soft cheese makes the mousse silky-smooth and keeps the whipped cream stable (meaning it won’t deflate or weep). You’ll need one 8-ounce tub.
• Brown sugar. The sweetener here is brown sugar — light or dark will work.
• Pumpkin purée. You can use store-bought or make your own, just don’t use sweetened pumpkin pie mix.
• Pumpkin pie spice. Make your own blend or just use store-bought.

1. Toast the crumbs. Crush graham crackers into crumbs, then toast in a skillet with some butter until crunchy. This makes the crumbs extra-crunchy and they’ll stay crunchy longer after being topped with the pumpkin mousse.
2. Make the whipped cream. Beat mascarpone, heavy cream, and some brown sugar together until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip.
3. Make the pumpkin filling. Use the same mixer to beat the pumpkin purée, mascarpone, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together until smooth. Then, add in the cream and vanilla, and beat again until soft peaks form.
4. Layer in a glass. Divide the graham crackers crumbs between six glasses. Top with the pumpkin filling, and then the mascarpone whipped cream. Finish with a little sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

• Start with cold heavy cream. To achieve the perfect texture in the filling and whipped cream, using cold cream will help it whip up faster and fluffier. Once you get to whipping, however, be careful not to overwhip or the texture will get too stiff and grainy. Stop when soft peaks that gently curl back on themselves form, and err on the side of underwhipping.
• Pipe the filling. You can spoon the filling into the glasses, but that can be tricky to do without smearing the filling against the rim and sides of the glass. Transfer the filling into a piping or zip-top bag and pipe it into the glasses instead.
• Refrigerate the mousses for a few hours before serving. This lets the spices meld together and allows the layers set up a little bit. It’s a great make-ahead dessert, especially for a dinner party, since all you have to do to serve is to hand out some spoons. 

May I recommend the best way to enjoy pumpkin mousse? Do it the way I do — slide your spoon straight down to the bottom so you get a little of all the sweet layers in each and every bite.