Gingerbread Cookie Cups w/ Pumpkin Mousse & Cider Caramel
Serves: Makes 36 Cookie Cups
 
Ingredients
  • 1 recipe Soft & Chewy Gingersnap Cookie Dough
  • FOR THE MOUSSE:
  • ¾ C. Pumpkin Puree
  • ¼ C. Sour Cream
  • 1 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • ½ t. Lemon Juice
  • 2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
  • ½ C. Sugar
  • ½ t. Vanilla
  • FOR THE CARAMEL:
  • 1 C. Sugar
  • ¼ C. Water
  • ¾ C. Apple Cider
  • 2 T. Butter
  • ½ t. Cinnamon
  • ⅛ t. Allspice
  • ⅛ t. Cloves
Instructions
  1. Make the gingerbread cookie dough according to recipe directions, including dividing the dough into 36 pieces, rolling into balls and coating in sugar.
  2. Place each sugar coated cookie dough ball in a well of a mini muffin pan. Using your fingers, press a hole in the middle of each dough ball and press the dough up against the bottoms and sides of each well, forming a cup. Sprinkle a little bit of sugar in the cookie cup while pressing if you find it is too sticky.
  3. Bake according to recipe directions, upping the bake time to about 11-12 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool.
  5. Remove cookie cups from tin by pressing each cup down lightly with your fingers as you gently twist. Pull out.
  6. While the cookie cups are cooling, make the mousse:
  7. Place the pumpkin, sour cream, pumpkin pie spice, and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth. In another bowl, add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla and whip to very stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, scoop the whipped cream into the bowl with the pumpkin mixture and fold in gently, until thoroughly combined.
  8. Scoop the mousse into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the mousse onto the cooled cookie cups.
  9. Drizzle cider caramel over the mousse in each cookie cup.
  10. FOR THE CIDER CARAMEL:
  11. Place the sugar and water in a medium non-stick saute pan. Stir together until all the sugar is moistened. Place on medium heat, swirling the liquid on occasion, until sugar is dissolved. Run a pastry brush dipped in water over the sides of the pan to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals.
  12. Meanwhile, place the cider and spices in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute.
  13. Up the heat to medium/high and let sugar continue to cook until it turns a medium amber color, swirling the sugar lightly with the handle of the pan to help it caramelize evenly.
  14. Pour the hot cider and spices into the caramel. Mixture will bubble intensely. Add the butter.
  15. Stir with a heat proof spatula and continue to cook until the mixture settles down and caramel is smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a glass mason jar. Let cool. Can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.
  16. If caramel is too hard when needed for drizzling, microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir.
Recipe by The Kitchen McCabe at https://www.thekitchenmccabe.com/2014/10/23/gingerbread-cookie-cups-w-pumpkin-mousse-cider-caramel/