Chocolate Peppermint Pie (easy mousse recipe)
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.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the cookie crust:
- 2 cups plain chocolate cookie crumbs
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the chocolate filling:
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5.5 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped (if you use chips, make sure they melt well)
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup heavy or heavy whipping cream
- crushed candy canes for decoration
Instructions
For the chocolate crust:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Mix 2 cups plain chocolate cookie crumbs with 8 tablespoons unsalted butter until it looks like wet sand. Place the mixture in a 9-inch pie pan with a removable bottom. Carefully press evenly against the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack completely.
For the mousse filling:
- Combine 4 tablespoons sugar and 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch in a small saucepan.
- Add 1 cup whole milk, mix well until cornstarch is dissolved and cook on medium heat until the mixture reaches the boiling point. Stir frequently to avoid lumps. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. It will thicken.
- Remove from heat and immediately add 5.5 ounces semisweet chocolate and ½ teaspoon peppermint extract. Combine well. The mixture will look like jello gone bad, don't worry.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool to room temperature. You can speed this process by refrigerating it.
- Beat chocolate mixture a bit with an electric mixer until it starts to soften.
- Add 1 cup heavy or heavy whipping cream and slowly beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.
- Sprinkle with crushed candy canes right before serving.
Notes
Chocolate: use the best quality of semi-sweet chocolate you can afford. It makes a difference. If using chips, use a good brand.
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.
Storage: The mousse needs a few hours of chilling before serving to firm up. 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.
