you're making mealtime meaningful.
Three things we are in love with: the bright and fresh flavor of lemon, the rich and creamy bite of cheesecake, and desserts that take absolutely no baking at all. These no-bake lemon mousse cups combine all of those things and more, so as you can imagine we’re completely head over heels for them. It’s just hard not to be!
These sweet dessert cups have all the creaminess of cheesecake with the irresistible lightness of mousse and a just-tart-enough lemon flavor. All of that combined with the crunch of buttery graham cracker crumbs on the bottom is enough to make your eyes roll back in your head. It’s like heaven in a tiny cup.
When it’s hot enough out to fry an egg on the sidewalk, the last thing we want to do is turn on our oven. That’s not to say that our sweet tooth disappears in the height of summer…so you might describe us as a connoisseur of no-bake dessert recipes. But these little babies are one of our very favorites. And they’re so good there’s no reason to stash away the recipe card for a hot summer day. The subtle zing of lemon will brighten any winter day; we love them all year round.
Lemon Cheesecake Mousse Cups
Yield(s): Serves 8-10
20 minutes active, 2 hours inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- For crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- For mousse:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
- 1 (8 oz) jar lemon curd
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
- lemon, blueberries and mint to garnish, optional
Preparation
- Thoroughly mix together butter and graham cracker crumbs and lightly press into the bottom of dessert cups. Set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine lemon juice and water and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl using an electric mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. (It’s fine to use the same unwashed beaters.) Add lemon curd and remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.
- Place small bowl of gelatin mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk thoroughly for 1 minute, then let cool 3 minutes.
- With an electric mixer on low, slowly pour cooled gelatin mixture into cream cheese mixture until well incorporated. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream and gently fold in to lighten the cream cheese mixture. Then, add all but 1/2 cup of the remaining whipped cream and again gently fold to combine.
- Spoon lemon mousse mixture evenly into dessert cups and top with remaining 1/2 cup whipped cream.
- Cover and chill until set, at least 2 hours. Garnish with lemon, blueberries and mint if desired, and serve. Enjoy!
Adapted from Cooking Classy.