Christmas Tree Mint Cheesecake Mousse

Are you a fan of creamy cheesecake? How does rich, fluffy mousse sound? Perhaps some cool mint? I love all three, so I put them together into one amazing dessert. (If I do say so myself. Which I do. It's really, really good.) And because it's winter, I put served my cheesecake mousse in Christmas tree creme brulee dishes. My dishes are about 15 years old, so I couldn't find an exact match, but here are some similar tree-shaped dishes that should work. Or, try this really cute set of tree dishes (affiliate links here and throughout the post). 

 

Mint Cheesecake Mousse

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 3/4 c. powdered sugar, divided
• 1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract
• 2-3 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• Leaf Green gel food color
• star and circle sprinkles

Steps: 

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 c. powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Set the whipped cream aside. 

In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes on the highest speed. Add the remaining 1/2 c. of powdered sugar and the mint extract. 

Remove 1/4 c. of the cream cheese mixture and put it into a small bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder, a teaspoon at a time, until the mixture has the consistency of a truffle. Set it aside. 

Return to the mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and mint extract. Add the food color, a small amount at a time, until you get a shade of green that is slightly darker than you want the final color to be. I like to stick a toothpick into the gel, then swirl the toothpick through the mixture until it stops giving off color. Then use a clean toothpick to repeat the process. It usually takes me 2-3 toothpicks' worth to get the shade I want. 

Gently fold the whipped cream into the green mixture. Scoop it into the dishes, then fill in the trunk area with the truffle mix. 

Add a star to the top of each, then add as many sprinkles as you'd like. 

You can serve them immediately, but they're even better after they chill for a few hours. This recipe makes six servings. 

Trust me - this mint cheesecake mousse is DELICIOUS.