A decadent and creamy chocolate mousse filling balanced with a flaky golden crust.That’s what this recipe is all about. I’ll be honest, I have never had chocolate pie before. I usually opt for the chocolate tart with an almond crust or coconut crust. I normally associate pie crust to a fruit filling, and a chocolate tart to a nutty or flavorful base. All this to say, I really took my sweet time to try out chocolate pie. Now that I’ve had it- I don’t know what I was hesitant about! The creamy chocolate filling pairs so perfectly with a flaky, buttery crust! It seems like the natural choice!
I’m so glad I’m getting to share this one with you guys before Christmas! If you want something easy but impressive and decadent- look no further! This will definitely be the first dessert to disappear off your table. This pie filling is created with heavy cream and milk, with a hint of coffee and a load of melted chocolate. The best part is that it’s relatively easy for a pie. You can blind bake the pie ahead of time- truly get that perfect golden brown crust! [ And if you’ve never done a blind bake then don’t let that scare you! It’s the same principle of baking a pie. You will just fill the crust with parchment paper and dry beans/pie weights to weigh it down. It helps get the crust evenly toasted and not have any annoying air pockets. Once it’s done baking, you just pour the chocolate filling into the crust and let it set!]
Now I know this season is very different from the past, but I’m grateful we have baking to bridge those gaps. I’m planning to create cookie boxes and extra pies this season to do some contact-free drop offs and hopefully bring some cheer to some friends in town! So make sure to bake a little extra and spread the love around this season. Stay safe of course, but let your desserts be your new hugs and kisses!
Chocolate Mousse Pie
Ingredients
For Pie Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 + tbsp cold water
For Filling
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/4 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
For Crust
- In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and cold butter. Process until it forms coarse crumbs.
- Add tablespoons of water one at a time, pulsing between additions. Eventually this should form a ball of dough.
- Place the ball of dough onto a floured baking mat or marble slab. Roll out the dough, making sure to lift and rotate the dough after every few rolls as to assure it won't stick to the surface and will be evenly thick. Aim to keep the pie dough about 1/4" throughout.
- When ready, gently lift and place into a 9-inch pie dish. Using your fingers, gently but firmly tuck in all around the edges to make sure it is flat against the dish.
- Chill the pie crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Crumble a piece of parchment paper and loosely line the inside of the pie crust with it. Make sure to make this piece of paper large enough to easily lift out of the pie when needed. Fill the paper evenly with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake the pie for about 20-30 minutes, or until the edges and bottom are golden brown. Once baked fully, remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled down, carefully remove parchment paper with weights from the crust. Be careful as these weights/dry beans get VERY hot, and you don't want to burn yourself (or damage the delicate crust).
For Filling
- In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, whisking until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the egg yolks.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly as the mixture thickens. Allow to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter. Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and the chocolate is melted completely.
- Once the mixture is free of clumps, pour into prepared pie crust. Chill completely, usually overnight. When ready, slice into wedges and serve with dollop of whip cream on top if desired!
