Strawberry Mousse Cups

When I saw this mouse recipe in the summer, I fell in love with the color and knew this would make a festive dessert for the holidays! I thought putting it in these chocolate cups would make the perfect presentation and I  liked that I could make this ahead of time and freeze it.  The mousse was light and a nice change from the many chocolate desserts that I make every year.  The hardest part of this dessert was finding the already made chocolate cups!  I had looked everywhere and finally found them in a small gourmet Italian market in the neighboring town.

Merry Christmas!!!

Ingredients

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 package (1.4 ounces) 4 serving-size strawberry gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Whole strawberries and whipped cream for garnish

Directions

1. Wash and hull strawberries. Cut each in half and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin and sugar. Stir until dissolved.
3. Pour pureed strawberries into gelatin and stir until combined. The mixture should be room temperature at this point. If not, refrigerate until cool.
4. Whip cream until stiff and fold into gelatin and strawberry mixture until well blended.
5. Spoon into individual serving dishes or keep in bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

MY TIP:  I left the chocolate in their original plastic holder which made it easier for piping in the mousse and made it convenient for freezing. 
MY OTHER TIP:  Garnish with whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.