Attention all chocolate lovers! This pie was made for us! It is chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, with a side of chocolate and extra chocolate! Sounds pretty rich? To lift it up, I’ve folded all that chocolatey goodness with a light and airy Italian meringue and pillowy whipped cream! For a little texture contrast, the silky chocolate mousse sits on top of a crunchy chocolate cookie crust! This show-stopping dessert is both beautiful and delicious!
This pie is really easy to make! No pastry making, no rolling, no blind baking, etc… There are a few steps, but they are quite simple and mostly involve mixing and whipping, then you fold everything together and pour it into a cookie crust!
Before you begin, read through the recipe so you understand all the steps. They are:
- Bake and cool a cookie crust
- Make a ganache
- Make a meringue
- Whip heavy cream
- Fold the ganache, meringue and cream together for form a mousse
- Pour the mousse into the crust and chill
After the pie has set, if you choose you can decorate with:
- Additional ganache to drizzle over the top
- Cocoa whipped cream
Let’s get started!
Here’s what you need for the cookie crust.
It was just my luck that the grocery store was out of chocolate graham crackers when I was testing this recipe. I ended up grabbing a box of Teddy Grahams and they worked perfectly! Any sort of crunchy, biscuit-like chocolate cookie would work here. Just crush them in a food processor for about 30 seconds until finely ground.
Mix the chocolate crumbs with the sugar and salt, then add the melted butter. Stir until it looks like wet sand. Pour the crust unto a 9 inch pie pan. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan and up the sides, making it as evenly distributed as possible. You could even use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to stamp the crust into the pan if that makes it easier for you.
Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Place the pie pan on a sheet pan before baking. This will make it much easier to remove it from the oven when it is hot. Leave the baked crust on the counter to cool while you make your filling.
Here’s what you need for the ganache.
Typically, ganache is made with equal parts chocolate and cream. This ganache is really disproportionate because more cream, in the form of whipped cream is going to be folded in later. Also, this ganache being heavier on the chocolate makes it more firm and sturdy, which will help keep our pie firm and sturdy.
Heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. You may need to pop it into the microwave for a few additional seconds if some of the chocolate won’t melt after lots of stirring. But be careful, it can burn easily. You could also make the ganache over a double boiler if you prefer.
Set the ganache aside to cool to room temperature while you work on the meringue.
Make an Italian meringue.
It’s kind of unusual to see an Italian meringue in a mousse. I prefer going this route because Italian meringues are more stable. I know it won’t collapse in the refrigerator after a day or so. Also, the egg whites are cooked. And if you are bringing this to a gathering, you can be sure there will be someone who isn’t comfortable eating uncooked egg whites. This way, everyone wins!
The first time making an Italian meringue is a little intimidating. I know I was a nervous wreck, worried I would overcook my sugar syrup or over whip or under whip my egg whites. After that first time, I wondered why I was being such a baby about it! It’s actually easy- as long as you set yourself up for success!
I guess this version of meringue is intimidating because it is the most involved of meringues. You have to do two things at once and you have to keep an eye on both things at once. Let me break this down for you:
- Whip your egg whites with an acid (such as cream of tartar) and salt until they reach soft peaks.
2. While the whites are whisking, heat granulated sugar with water over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the syrup is clear, turn the heat up to medium-high and insert a candy thermometer. If you don’t currently own a candy thermometer, here is a link to one I use.
This is what I meant by doing two things at once. The sugar syrup needs to cook to a “soft ball” stage (240 degrees Fahrenheit) as the egg whites reach soft peaks. To simplify things, I recommend having your mixer on the counter next to the stove where you are cooking the syrup.
If the whites reach soft peaks before the sugar is ready, just turn the mixer off and restart it when the syrup is at the right temperature.
Next, with the mixer running on medium speed, slowly drizzle the hot syrup into egg whites.
This will cook and stabilize the meringue. Try not to let the syrup hit the sides of the bowl or the whisk attachment itself because it will instantly crystalize and not get whipped into the meringue.
Once all the syrup is in, turn the mixer to medium high speed and continue to whip for about 5 more minutes, or until it reaches stiff peaks (meaning the meringue won’t collapse back on itself when lifted out of the bowl.)
Gently fold the meringue into the chocolate ganache. Don’t bother completely folding it in because you are going to fold more in a minute once you make whipped cream. There is no need to risk deflating the mousse. Just fold it enough to give it a head start.
Make whipped cream.
Whip very cold heavy cream with a pinch of salt until it reaches soft peaks. You could do this using a stand or hand mixer. There isn’t sugar in this because there is plenty of it in the meringue!
Finish folding the meringue and the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache.
This time you are going fold the mousse until there are no white streaks. Go slowly and try not to stir too aggressively. You want to keep as much air as possible in the mousse.
Pour the mousse into the cooled crust.
Place the pie in the refrigerate to set for at least 6 hours. It could also be left overnight.
Decorate the set mousse pie.
What you do to decorate your pie is entirely up to you! What I thought was, “why not just add more chocolate?” Sounds like a pretty good plan. I love the look of the ganache drizzle on top of the pie. It gives it more of a high-end aesthetic.
Remember that ganache you made way back in step 2? Well, you are in luck, because you already know how to make it! The only difference is this is more of a true ganache ratio of 1:1. And it’s a smaller amount than before because it’s just a little decoration.
Let the ganache cool slightly before drizzling over the pie. You could use a spoon or a squeeze bottle. It will set very quickly on the chilled pie.
For the cocoa whipped cream:
This is another totally optional element, but I am going for it! Again, make sure your cream is really cold before whipping.
Pour the heavy cream, cocoa, sugar and salt into large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium until all the cocoa is dissolved. If you start on too high speed, you will end up in a cloud of cocoa. (That actually doesn’t sound like the worst thing.)
Increase the speed and whip until it is stiff.
Pipe the cocoa whipped cream in little rosettes around the edges the pie so you still see all that beautiful ganache! You can keep the finished pie refrigerated before serving for up to a day!
Other recipes to try:
Rich Chocolate Mousse Pie
Ingredients
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
For the Italian meringue
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
For the ganache
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- 10 tbsp heavy cream
For the whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy cream very cold
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
For the ganache drizzle.
- 4 tbsp chopped semisweet chocolate
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
For the cocoa whipped cream.
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Make the crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the crumbs, salt, sugar and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Pour the crust into a 9 inch pie pan. Spread the crust over the entire bottom of the pan and up the sides. You could use the bottom of a measuring cup to create a flat surface on the bottom of the pan. Make sure to press all the way into the corners and up the sides.Place the pie pan on a sheet pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
Make an Italian meringue.
- Pour the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Pour the granulated sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat to medium heat and insert a candy thermometer. Stir until the sugar dissolves then let it simmer until the syrup reaches 240 degrees. While the sugar syrup is heating up, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they reach soft peaks, (meaning when you lift the whisk head, a peak will form, then gently collapse back onto itself.)If the whites reach soft peaks before the sugar is at 240 degrees, just turn off the mixer and turn it back on when the syrup is ready.Once the syrup is at temp, drizzle it into the egg whites with the mixer running on medium. Turn the speed to medium-high and continue to whip until the meringue just approaches stiff peaks, which should take an additional 5 minutes, but the time may vary. When you lift the whisk head, the meringue should be firm enough to hold its shape and not collapse back onto itself. Allow the meringue to cool as you make a ganache.
Make a ganache and fold it with the meringue.
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it begins to boil. Remove it, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate completely melts. If some of the chocolate won't melt after minutes of stirring, place the ganache into the microwave and heat for just a few seconds at a time. Be very careful not to over heat, because it can burn. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature. Pour the ganache into a large mixing bowl then add the cooled Italian meringue. Use a rubber spatula to fold the two together. At this point, don't worry about it being fully combined because you are going to do additional folding when adding the whipped cream in the next step. If it's still streaked with white, that completely fine. Best not to fold too much and risk deflating.
Make the whipped cream and fold it into the mousse.
- Whip the cold heavy cream and salt on medium-high with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the whipped cream to the mousse and fold it in until the mousse is fully combined and there aren't any white streaks. Be very careful not to stir or to mix too aggressively and risk deflating your beautiful mousse. Pour the mousse into the cooled crust and spread it all the way to the edges with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. It can be left overnight.
Make the ganache for drizzling.
- Just like with the ganache you made for the filling, heat the cream in the microwave, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Allow to cool to room temperature, then either drizzle it with a spoon over the chilled pie, or pour it into a squeeze bottle, then drizzle. The cold temperature of the pie will cause the ganache to set immediately.
Make cocoa whipped cream.
- Pour the cream, cocoa, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whip on medium until the cocoa and sugar are combined into the cream. Turn the speed do high and whip for about 3 minutes until stiff. Scoop the whipped cream into a piping bag and decorate your pie however you like!