If You Have Sweetened Condensed Milk And Cream Cheese, You Have The Start Of An Easy Frozen Dessert

When you're craving something sweet, it's tempting to scour the ice cream aisle and baked goods section at the grocery store. But plenty of easy recipes result in equally delicious desserts. We're partial to creamy, light concoctions, and this frozen mousse recipe fits the bill. All it takes is a bit of time (a few hours in the freezer) and three ingredients to make something delectable. Bonus: Your guests will be very impressed if you make it for a dinner party.

To make frozen mousse, add a package of cream cheese and a can of sweetened condensed milk to a mixing bowl. Once everything is mixed, add a couple of cups of heavy whipping cream until the mixture forms peaks. Turn off the mixer, spoon the mixture into a baking or casserole dish, and stick it in the freezer. Depending on how hard you want it to be, let it chill anywhere from a few hours to overnight.

Your final product should taste sweet and have a fluffy texture that's lighter than ice cream but thicker than pudding. When you're ready to enjoy it, use an ice cream scoop to serve it in bowls, then add a touch of homemade whipped cream. If plain "sweet cream" flavor doesn't do it for you, consider adding flavored syrups, extracts, and other ingredients, like cherries or nuts, to shake it up.

We highly recommend the OG version of this recipe — you can't go wrong with a basic sweet cream rendition — but we understand it's tempting to experiment. In that case, try adding different flavors to amp up your frozen mousse. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture before combining it for a warm vanilla flavor. Or swirl some store-bought caramel sauce, which our taster tried and ranked, for a dulce de leche-style frozen treat. If you're craving a minty treat, try peppermint extract or crushed-up candy canes in your mousse — put some chocolate cookie crumbles in there, too, and you've got a flavor reminiscent of peppermint mocha.

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't give an honorable mention to good old chocolate mousse. To add it to this recipe, crush some dark chocolate, melt it in the microwave or on the stove, and add it to the mixture before combining for a velvety, luxurious taste. If you prefer chilled, not frozen, mousse, try our super easy three-ingredient chocolate mousse recipe. It closely resembles the aforementioned ingredients, except it only has heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and dark chocolate. Simply stow it in the fridge one hour before your next party or gathering.