PUMPKIN [PIE] SPICE MOUSSE BROWNIE . . . OR . . . AM I ADDICTED TO PUMPKIN [PIE] SPICE? 16 OCTOBER 2022
Pumpkin [pie] spice and chocolate . . . what better comination, right? So I found a recipe for a brownie and pumpkin filling, but decided to make it my own way. Of course I did. OH, OH . . . MOM'S HEADING FOR THE SPICE CABINET! I'M STAYING SAFE OUT HERE!
Then I thought, what about some ground up ginger snaps to layer in between . . . Neal thought they would be too strong AND get soggy from the mousse. So . . . what about making a 'Nilla wafer & ginger snap crust, then layering THAT in between the brownie and mousse layer. A regular cookie crust, including the sides of the cake pan, needs 60 cookies, so I used the 10" springform pan, to make the crust on just the bottom, not the sides. I used 40 'Nilla wafers and 20 ginger snaps. NTS: No store-brand ginger snaps; they have no "snap" and no taste, either. Sugar & butter will make the crumbs stay together; an egg white wash (1 egg white & 1 T water) will make it resistant to moisture from the mousse . . . I had brownie mix to hand, so I made that whilst the crust was baking . . . NTS: Use CAKE brownies next time Brownies ready to go in the oven . . . . . . when the crust comes out . . . . . . and is successfully taken out of the pan to cool. (Brushing the egg white wash onto the cookie crumbs was NOT a success.) Onward to the pumpkin [pie] spice mousse; whipped cream . . . . . . and then the cream cheese, pumpkin purée, brown sugar & spices . . . I managed to get the cookie crust layer onto the brownie layer, then spread the mousse over that. I wanted a layer of whipped cream, but wanted to try the STABILIZED whipped cream so it would last a bit longer than regular whipped cream. However, STABILIZED whipped cream also doesn't spead very well . . . I had to do the gelatin step twice, and I still wasn't happy with the outcome. Now that I read the recipe again, I can see why: I used 1 T of gelatin rather than 1 t. NTS: GET NEW GLASSES! The mousse had to set for six hours, so it was 4:30 p.m. before we were able to sample it. Our thoughts: * Only three layers are needed, as the cookie crumb crust works well as a base. * As noted above, use cake brownies, as the fudge brownies make it impossible to eat, or eliminate that layer entirely. We are now eating the brownies separately from the other layers. * The cookie crumb crust, mousse and whipped cream are delicious, and I will definitely make this again, without the brownie layer. 1 NOVEMBER ADDENDUM I made this again, but as a pie with [good] ginger snaps for the crust; THAT is definitely a KEEPER! Also, the stabilized whipped cream was much better with the correct amount of gelatin. THE RECIPE I USED FOR THE MOUSSE Spices can be decreased, increased or deleted to your personal taste. I doubled the original recipe amounts.
THE RECIPES I USED FOR THE COOKIE CRUMB CRUST AND THE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
Technically, they'd only taste like pumpkin.

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