I decided to up the ante for month two of my year-long pie project (you can find the first installment here) by not only whipping up the February chocolate pie, but swapping out the graham cracker crust with one made of seasonally appropriate Girl Scout Shortbreads (aka Trefoils).
Procuring a box was easy, since there’s adorable girls selling cookies pretty much everywhere you turn at this time of year. For the pie filling, I found this recipe for a chocolate mousse pie and used Ghirardelli semi-sweet morsels. Also, I had the idea to add a dash of chipotle powder to the crust, but my taste testers weren’t so fond of that idea, so I made one mini spicy pie and a regular-sized plain one.
Though I started out crushing the cookies by hand, I quickly gave up and moved to a food processor. I truly thought this pie would be a cinch, but I overestimated my improvisation skills. When it comes to baking, I really should stick to the book. I looked at a few shortbread crust recipes but I didn’t know exactly what texture the crumbs should be, and ended up adding too much melted butter. So instead of a seemingly simple cookie crust, the sides slid down and created one ultra-thick bottom crust in the mini pie pan. The regular pie fared only slightly better as the crumbs were a bit drier. I was able to remold the mini crust and just hoped for the best since ultimately the fridge would help set everything. But basically, my pies had crust on the bottom and nothing on the sides. C’est la vie.
The chocolate mousse went a little smoother, as I was able to let my trusty food processor and mixer do most of the work. I’ve never made whipped cream in my mixer before, and didn’t know what ‘stiff peaks’ of cream looked like. Google was no help—I need visual aids! I perhaps didn’t beat the cream long enough, but it’s equally possible that I was seconds away from fresh-churned butter. I may never know.
I used a little extra cream and chocolate to accommodate my mini pie, and ended up with way more mousse than I needed. I plopped it into parfait cups and served it up as a dessert amuse bouche.
Prepare yourself—this pie is RICH—but this should be consumed asap. I know, I know, leftover chocolate pie should be an oxymoron, but time in the fridge does not do this recipe any favors. I recommend serving this at a party where it will be devoured and, as long as your guests are adventurous, throw in that teaspoon of chipotle to spice up the crust. It played nicely against the buttery cookies and creamy chocolate mousse. But, I’m a fanatic of desserts with a savory side.
Overall, I’ll give myself a B- on this round. The sliding crumbs were definitely a rookie mistake, and could have been fixed had I planned ahead and purchased extra cookies.
Another cookie-crumb crust is on tap for March, with a lemon filling. Do I redeem myself with the lemon Girl Scout cookie and a super tart pie? Do I dare tangle with meringue? Anyone else hate when the meringue lifts off of the lemon cream? If you have any tips for me, please share!
Recipe: Chocolate Mousse Pie with Trefoil Crust
Trefoil Shortbread Crust
Method:
Crush one box of Girl Scout Shortbread (Trefoil) cookies in a food processor.
Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Slowly add the butter to the cookie crumbs, stirring until they start to clump together. If adding chipotle powder, add now. Press into a pie pan, and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. You should have extra crumbs for a mini pie as well.
Chocolate Mousse Filling (adapted from Epicurious)
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces semi-sweet morsels (I used Ghirardelli)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 quart chilled whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
Method:
In food processor, add chocolate chips, vanilla and salt. Bring 1 cup of cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Gradually pour hot cream into processor while pulsing, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir to cool to room temperature.
Beat remaining 3 cups of cream and the sugar in mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. There will be leftover filling. Chill until set, about six hours.
- Photography: Melissa Woodley
