Mississippi Mousse Mud Pie – Oh My!

We have already established the fact that today is National Mississippi Day. Did you know it’s also National Mousse Day? While traditionally a Mississippi Mud Pie is made with pudding, isn’t Mousse just pudding on steroids? You get where I’m going here.

I’ve combined one of my favorite recipes for Mississippi Mud Pie with one of my favorite Chocolate Mousse recipes. Be warned, this is at least a two-day process. You make each layer on day one. Day two is the final assembly. You could even assemble on day two, let it sit for another day of “flavor” developing, then finish with the whipped cream topping on day three. Really, while the process sounds long, each step doesn’t take long. It’s all that chilling time. While the mud pie is chilling, you could be chilling too, knowing that you are about to serve a chocolate delight that will blow every other chocolate dessert out of the water. Yeah, it’s that darn good.

No one knows just when and where the Mississippi Mud Pie came to be. Some say it’s a 1970s reinvention of a World Way II classic, the Mud Cake. One thing is certain, this dessert is as rich and dark as the muddy river.

Oh, and one more thing – the Mousse does contain just a little Hazelnut Liqueur. If you don’t want to include the liqueur, you can use water. However; the liqueur is really delicious with the bittersweet chocolate of the Mousse.

Mississippi Mousse Mud Pie
Chocolate Cookie Crust
5 tablespoons unsalted Butter
40 Chocolate Oreo Cookies

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and lightly butter top of parchment paper. Set prepared pan aside.

Melt butter, set aside.

In a food processor, pulse Oreo cookies until finely ground. Pour cookie crumbs into a bowl along with the melted butter. Use a fork to stir the cookies with the butter until evenly moistened.

Pour mixture into the prepared spring-form pan. Press cookie crust into an even layer along bottom and up the sides of the pan, coming to within a 1/2-inch of the top of the pan.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. While the oven heats, place the cookie crust into the freezer and chill 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and bake in the heated oven 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Flourless Chocolate Cake Layer
6 oz Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chip
1/4 cup unsalted Butter
1/4 cup water, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Place 6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat mixture in microwave in 20 second intervals on 50% power, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth, set aside to cool slightly.

In liquid measuring cup, whisk together water, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in the bowl of the electric stand mixer.Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, whip 6 egg yolks with brown sugar on medium-high speed until mixture is pale and fluffy and has nearly doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Add melted chocolate mixture and mix just until combined, then scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix on low speed 5 seconds longer.

Add water mixture and blend just until combined, then scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix 5 seconds longer.

Transfer the egg yolk-chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Clean the stand mixer bowl and whip attachment. Dry thoroughly. Add the egg whites and whip until foamy. Gradually increase speed to high while slowly adding the 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue to whip until soft peeks form.

Scoop out about 1 cup of the whipped egg white mixture and gently fold into egg yolk-chocolate mixture, just until combined, about 30 seconds. Add in remaining egg white mixture and fold just until only a few white streaks are visible. DO NOT OVER-MIX. Pour mixture into cooled cookie crust and spread into an even layer.

Bake in heated oven 35 to 40 minutes, until cake edges appear set but center still jiggles slightly. The cake may appear under-baked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookie-cake layer has cooled wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Frangelico Dark Chocolate Mousse Layer
8 oz bittersweet chocolate ( 66% cacao), finely chopped
5 large Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
1 cup Heavy Cream, chilled

Clean the bowl and whisk of the stand mixer. Place both in the freezer to chill well.

Finely chop the chocolate. Set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Reserve the whites for another use (egg-white omelettes?) or discard.

In a heat safe bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is uniform and light in color. Place over a double boiler of simmering water and whisk with a hand-held mixer or by hand until slightly thickened.

Note: A ribbon of the egg-sugar mixture should flow back into the bowl when the whisk is lifted and the sugar should just be beginning to dissolve.

Add the Frangelico and continue to whisk over the simmering water until the mixture hits roughly 160 degrees.

Note: It coats the back of a spoon when ready.

Remove from heat, add the finely chopped chocolate. Stir until the mixture becomes cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Set the chocolate aside.

Pour heavy cream into the chilled bowl of the stand up mixer. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold the cream into the chocolate, then cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Wash the mixing bowl and whip attachment. Place in the freezer to chill until ready to use again.

To Assemble the Mousse Mud Pie: Remove cookie-cake layer and mousse from refrigerator. Gently stir mousse to loosen, then spread the mousse into an even layer over cookie-cake, staying within the cookie crust border.

Chill in refrigerator 30 minutes. While the pie is chilling, make the whip topping.

Whipped Topping
1 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
3 tablespoons Sugar

Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer. Pour cream into the chilled bowl and whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add in sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Remove Mud Pie from refrigerator. Spread whipped cream in an even layer over the mousse. Spread smooth. Remove the spring-form pan.

Serve within 3 hours of topping with whipped cream. If desired, the mud pie can be assembled and refrigerated overnight. Finish with the whipped cream just before serving.