Pumpkin Gingersnap Trifle

I decided to mix things up a bit this Thanksgiving--and I'm so glad I did! This seasonal, scrumptious trifle mixes textures and flavors amazingly well. Plus, having revised the recipe a bit for my family, I came out with a delicious dessert that we didn't have to feel as guilty about at gobbling down.

While working at Every Day with Rachael Ray, I came upon this recipe and made sure to tuck it away for fall. I was excited for days leading up to the big Turkey Day experiment.

As my dad's a diabetic and my work to lose weight, I took advantage of my grocery store to make this recipe lighter on our diets and my day of kitchen work. Cool Whip Free makes me so very happy so very easily. I subbed about two thirds of a regular container of thawed Cool Whip Free for the whipped cream in the original recipe. As with all things pumpkin in my kitchen, I spiced the heck out of a can of pumpkin puree, then folded in Cool Whip Free and Marshmallow Fluff in two batches of each. That done, I placed about a third of the pumpkin mixture into a trifle bowl and covered it with crushed gingersnaps. After repeating these two layers once more, a layer of Cool Whip Free and a sprinkling of more crushed gingersnaps completed the beauty.

The airy mousse is rich in flavor and the spices strike a perfect balance between providing kick but not distracting. The gingersnaps add to the spicy flavors and lend a great bit of crunch to the texture combination. I love the pairing. It's marginally addictive. A couple of gingersnaps on the side are great for scooping up the tasty mixture for those who don't mind ditching the spoons. No one misses pie at all.

Dessert must have been done in 10 minutes. Thanksgiving means I usually bake AT LEAST one kind of pie, which takes hours for prep, baking, and cooling. This year, I was thrilled to save the time--and calories!--with this delicious and gorgeous treat. We'll definitely be making this a new tradition for the holidays--and maybe more often. Too yummy and easy not to!