Cheesecake Mousse Shooters Recipe

Guys, I have a really serious sweet tooth.  Like really serious.  So while I'm not much of a baker,  I get pretty giddy preparing desserts.  The other weekend, we had dinner plans at a friend's home and I was responsible for dessert.  One of the diners wasn't big on chocolate, and while I was brainstorming what to make, E reminded me of the cheesecake shooters I've made a few times.  They're super simple, and so fun to layer with different toppings.
To keep things interesting, and provide a few different non-chocolate options,  I made cheesecake shooters in four flavors: oreo caramel, lemon raspberry, classic strawberry, and s'mores- my personal fav.

First, I made the cheesecake filling, as outlined below...

Ingredients

1 8oz package of cream cheese- at room temperature
I use neufchâtel cheese (reduced fat)
2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Yields enough filling for about 3 dozen shot glasses 

Process

In a chilled bowl, with an electric hand mixer, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese and vanilla until the mixture is soft and fluffy.  With a spatula, gently fold the fluffy cream cheese into the whipped cream in 2-3 batches.  

Then, simply put the filling in a piping bag so it's easier to fill the shot glasses.  If you don't have piping bags, ziplock baggies with the corner snipped is easier than spooning it in.  

For the S'mores Cheesecake Mousse Shooters...

Additional ingredients needed

marshmallow fluff

graham cracker crumbs

approximately 1/4oz milk chocolate per oz of cream cheese

I added 1 oz of chocolate to about 1/3 of my mousse

Process

In a double boiler (or just a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, the bowl should not touch the water) melt the chocolate.  Slowly drizzle the chocolate into the cheesecake mixture, while mixing.  If necessary, add a little more heavy cream to loosen the mixture. 

In the shot glass layer graham cracker crumbs, chocolate cheesecake, marshmallow fluff.  The marshmallow fluff is most agreeable when put into a piping or ziplock baggie and heated slightly in the microwave (5-10 seconds).  Top with additional marshmallow fluff or whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and graham cracker crumbs.

For the other cheesecake mousse shooters...

The other three follow a very similar process, layer graham cracker or Oreo crumbs, cheesecake, and toppings.  For the Oreo caramel I simply used crushed oreos and jarred caramel sauce.  The raspberry lemon contained store bought lemon curd and a touch of raspberry syrup and I made a very simple strawberry sauce (frozen strawberries, a few tablespoons of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon) and let it chill before layering.

Do you have a go-to dessert recipe?