Chocolate Mousse Pie with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust and Mascarpone Whipped Cream

This pie is NEXT LEVEL. Now, I have to be honest with you … It is a little time consuming to make (with the baking of the crust, and the cooling of the layers) but you won’t regret making it. It’s for sure a show-stopper. It has a thick chocolate chip cookie crust, a cool chocolate filling, and a creamy mascarpone whipped cream topping.

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust and Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Grease the inside of a 9 inch spring form pan and the outside of a cake pan that fits inside the spring form pan leaving a quarter inch gap all the way around the sides.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.

Mix in the eggs and vanilla, until just combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined—being careful not to overmix. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. The dough will be thick and stiff.

Pack the cookie dough into the greased spring form pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. The bottom should be about 1 inch thick and the sides ¼ inch think. Place a round cut piece of parchment in the center on top of the dough and press the greased cake pan into the center of spring form pan. Some cookie dough may push up and out of the mold. Leave the cake pan in place and scrape the excess cookie dough away.

Refrigerate the pan of dough for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any spill over. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, use an oven mitt and push the cake pan down again. Cookie dough will expand out of the mold as it bakes but you can remove the excess later.

Remove from the oven when cookie dough crust is nice and golden brown. Let cool completely before removing cake pan. Once the crust is cool, twist the cake pan and carefully lift it out of the spring form pan. Leave the crust inside the spring form pan and set aside while you prepare the filling.

Chocolate Mousse

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

5 large egg yolks at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

10 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

Heat 1 cup of the heavy cream in a small, heavy saucepan until just hot.

In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk the egg yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly add the sugar to the egg yolks, then the salt, and then slowly pour in the warmed heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (the custard will thicken as it cools). Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla.

In a heat-proof bowl, microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring frequently until smooth. Whisk the chocolate into the custard until smooth, then let cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate custard to lighten in, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Transfer the mousse to the chocolate chip cookie crust in the spring form pan. Use an offset spatula to spread it in an even layer. Chill the pie uncovered for at least 4 hours.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Pinch salt

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat together the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light, 2 to 3 minutes. On low speed, slowly add half the cream until combined, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl, making sure the cheese is completely combined into the cream. Add the rest of the cream on low speed. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the cream is smooth and thick. When the pie is set, top with the whipped cream.

Garnish the top of the pie with chocolate shavings and mini chocolate chips. Store pie in the refrigerator.