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Partial top view of Chocolate mousse pie with crushed candy canes on a white surface.

Chocolate Peppermint Pie (easy mousse recipe)

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Chocolate and mint are the perfect pair for holiday desserts. Combine them in a mousse pie, and everyone will be thrilled! Smooth and irresistibly creamy, this mousse tart has a chocolate cookie crust, making it easy to assemble. And it can be frozen. Take out the crust, and you have a luscious chocolate mint mousse. 

  • Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Units

For the cookie crust:

  • 2 cups chocolate wafer (or plain cookies) crumbs
  • 8 tablespoons of butter, melted

For the chocolate filling:

  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
  • 5.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (if you use chips, make sure they melt well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • Crushed candy canes, for decoration

Instructions

For the chocolate crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180°C.
  2. Mix crumbs with butter until it looks like wet sand.
  3. Place mixture in a 9-inch pie pan with removable bottom. Carefully press evenly against bottom and sides of the pan.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack completely.

For the mousse filling:

  1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan.
  2. Add milk, mix well until cornstarch is dissolved and cook on medium heat until the mixture reaches the boiling point. Stir frequently to avoid lumps.
  3. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. It will thicken. 
  4. Remove from heat and immediately add chocolate and mint extract. Combine well. The mixture will look like jello gone bad, don't worry.
  5. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool to room temperature. You can speed this process by refrigerating it.
  6. Beat chocolate mixture a bit with an electric mixer until it starts to soften.
  7. Add cream and slowly beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
  8. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and spread evenly.
  9. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.
  10. Sprinkle with crushed mint candies right before serving.

Notes

  • Chocolate: use the best quality of semi-sweet chocolate you can afford. It makes a difference. I love Ghirardelli Premium Baking Chocolate 60% and Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Block 54%. If using chips, use a good brand like Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips 60%.
  • Mint extract: I use Simply Organic Peppermint Extract or Frontier's Peppermint Organic Extract.
  • Cream: heavy whipping, double or heavy cream is the best for achieving the desired texture and thickness. Single cream won’t give you the same results. 
  • Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
  • Storage: it needs a few hours of chilling before serving for the mousse to firm up. And it should be served cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, or in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature until you can cut it.
  • Topping: besides the crushed candy cane you can use shaved chocolate. And you can certainly serve this pie with whipped cream. I personally think it's too much as it will overpower the mousse. But that's me.
  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooling + refrigeration time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Pies & Tarts
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8
  • Calories: 416
  • Sugar: 29.9 g
  • Sodium: 181.2 mg
  • Fat: 26.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 43.4 g
  • Protein: 4.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 48.7 mg