Pumpkin Mousse

WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE: As a kid, I went to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) for kindergarten. Every single week we had a cooking class, and it was by far my favorite part of going to the JCC, and one of the only things I can really remember. One week in October, as we drew closer to Halloween, we were given a recipe to make pumpkin mousse. I had chocolate mousse before, but never even heard of something called pumpkin mousse. I didn’t even like any sort of pumpkin food, because we made jack o’lanterns every year, and the slimy inside of a pumpkin grossed me out. But since it was cooking, I had to try and make it with the class, and it turned out to be amazing. It was way better then chocolate mousse.

I took the recipe home, and I made it at home as well, and ate it all and didn’t want to share any of it. Next year as it got closer to Halloween, I begged my mom to get the ingredients so I could make it again. She finally gave in, and I made another batch of my favorite food. My siblings, three at the time, also wanted to try it, and of course they loved it.

Ever since then, we have made it every single year, and it is the best part of October. It is a delicious food which everyone should try.

Pumpkin Mousse

Desserts

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Yochanan Gibly

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups cold milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 tsp grated orange rind (optional)
• ¼ tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger or 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 pkg (4-serving size) Jello® Vanilla or Butterscotch Flavor Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
• 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP® Non-Dairy Whipped Topping
• additional COOL WHIP® Non-Dairy Whipped Topping and nuts (optional)

Instructions

• Combine cold milk, pumpkin, orange rind and spices in bowl.
• Add pudding mix. With electric mixer at low speed, beat until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Fold in whipped topping.
• Spoon into individual dessert glasses. Chill.
• Garnish with additional whipped topping and nuts, if desired.

Notes

Photo Attribution:  Pumpkin Meese by Melanie Tata is licensed under CC BY-2.0.

The Tracing Roots & Building Trees project paired teens from Tucson Hebrew High with residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging to remember stories and favorite foods together. From this experience a cookbook, “L’dor v’dor: From Generation to Generation: Stories and Memories around Family and Food, was published.