Not the most seasonal of posts, but I’ve had this recipe on my list to share for a very long time. It’s one of those very simple desserts that totally makes people freak out at you when they try it - it’s THAT GOOD, I promise.
It’s perfect for summer BBQs and there’s only 15 minutes of bake time (for the crust), but mousse is great year round and it's so decadent, it's also perfect for the holidays. You could also easily make this with nutella or cookie butter for a non-pb twist! And I promise you that if you’ve got the time for the three different stages, it’s truly easy to make.
If you have a special peanut butter/chocolate lover in your life, make this for them and they will forever be in your debt (or, at least, they’ll be awestruck).
Happy Baking!
Adapted from Epicurious.com
INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
9 graham crackers (full sheets)*
3/4 stick melted unsalted butter (6TB)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 + 1/3 cups chocolate chips (8oz)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter chips**
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
optional: sprinkles, melted chocolate, or whatever you want to use to decorate
9” pie plate
food processor
microwave safe mixing bowl
hand or stand mixer w. whisk attachment
*If you want to use a different type of cookie - like biscoff cookies, nutter butters, oreos, etc. - you can. 9 graham crackers put in a food processor according to the directions below will yield about 1.25 cups of crushed graham cracker, so use an equivalent amount of any other kind of hard cookie. It will mean an extra step because you’ll need to grind them and measure to the right amount before returning to the food process to add the sugar and continue with step 2.
**You could also substitute 1 cup of cookie butter or nutella if you’d prefer.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F, and grease or spray a 9” pie plate.
In your food processor, grind your 9 graham crackers and 2TB sugar to a powder, then add the 3/4 stick melted butter and process until just combined.
Press the mixture evenly with your hands onto the bottom and up the sides of your greased pie plate (it’s okay if it doesn’t reach all the way up the sides, but get at least halfway up).
Bake 15 minutes.
Mix 8oz chocolate chips, 2/3c heavy cream, 2TB corn syrup, and 1tsp vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Whisk or stir until fully combined, then microwave to melt the rest of the way 30-60 seconds. Stir to fully combine. It it’s not totally melted at this point let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir again.
Once the crust is out of the oven, let it cool 5 minutes, then spread your chocolate mix evenly over the bottom and chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes (longer is fine).
Melt 1c peanut butter chips and 3/4c heavy cream in the microwave - start with one minute, stir or whisk until combined, then microwave in additional 10-20 second bursts as needed to stir until fully combined.
Add 2TB peanut butter and 1tsp vanilla and mix to combine (if you’re not doing peanut butter, just add 2TB of whatever you used instead of the pb chips).
Whisk 1c heavy cream and 2TB sugar to soft peaks (here’s what that means), and then fold it into your peanut butter mixture 1/3 at a time. Fold gently! (here’s how)
Spread your peanut butter mousse evenly over the chocolate in the pie plate, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Decorate however you like! I used sprinkles here, but I’ve also drizzled melted chocolate across, and sprinkled with chocolate covered peanuts or crushed cookies.
The pie will keep in the fridge for 24 hours, or in the freezer for up to a week.
