New York Style Cheesecake Mousse

The library recognition dinner was this past Friday and whoever wanted to bring a dessert could. Of course I jumped at the chance to make dessert. After talking it over with my co-workers they thought I should make cheesecake. But I wanted to try something new and when I saw this recipe in the January 2012 Taste of Home magazine I knew I needed to try it. I'm sure the library people are glad they are my guinea pigs. These babies turned out fantastic. I wanted to find clear plastic shot glasses to serve it in but I couldn't find any. I thought it would be really pretty but since I couldn't find what I wanted I used cupcake liners. I quadrupled the recipe since I was taking it to a rather large party. But I shouldn't have quadrupled the crust part because I have a ton of that left. I should have been able to make 48 but I was only able to make 38. The recipe below is for 12 servings.


New York Style Cheesecake Mousse
from the January 2012 Taste of Home magazine

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1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tsp. sugar
2 T butter, melted
Sliced fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, optional

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and lemon peel until fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream. Divide among 12 dessert dishes or cupcake liners. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl until combined. Press to a 1/4 in. thickness on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely. To make these look pretty I put the mousse in a pastry bag with a star tip and piped it into the cupcake liners. Then I sprinkled them with the graham cracker crust and placed half a sliced strawberry on top.