mini egg chocolate pie with chocolate cookie crust
Mini egg pie!!
If you’ve been around for a while…then you’ll know that I always try and do a new mini egg recipe each year! Find all of them at the end of this post!!
This year I decided to do a chocolate mousse pie (inspired by Sally’s baking addiction’s sky high chocolate mousse pie!!), with a layer of mini eggs in the middle…and a generous sprinkling of mini eggs on top. This recipe is so fun, and can be prepped way ahead of time and frozen! You may serve it straight from the freezer for a wonderful ice cream cake like texture, or from the fridge for a more classic mousse-like texture.
Can’t find mini eggs? You can toss in any kind of chocolate candy you’d like. I think reese’s peanut butter easter chocolates would be so so good as well.
So what gives this chocolate mousse pie it’s texture? Lots of chocolate! Whipped cream! And a simple marshmallow meringue. The meringue is first cooked on the stove to make sure the eggs are safe (you can skip this step if you use pasteurized eggs!!), and then it’s whipped until white and glossy. I love how the meringue lightens things up, and truly makes for a dreamy texture.
Also!!! Please read the ENTIRE RECIPE AND NOTES before you start baking! The trickiest part can be mixing the chocolate into the meringue without it seizing. Chocolate can seize simply while melting it down, if it gets any water or cold liquid in it…it will start to go grainy and chunky. See below for troubleshooting!
mini egg chocolate mousse pie with chocolate cookie crust
recipe: Kelsey Siemens (inspired by Sally’s baking addiciton - sky high chocolate mousse pie)
yields: one 9-inch pie
chocolate crust ingredients
1 3/4 cup (175 g) oreo baking crumbs
1/3 cup (75 g) salted butter, melted
to make the chocolate crust
In a medium bowl, stir together the oreo baking crumbs and melted butter until combined. Press the crumbs firmly into a 9-inch pie plate. I start with the edges, and then finish with the bottom. Take care not to make the bottom corner too thick!
You may choose to simply transfer the crust to the fridge to set, or bake it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
chocolate filling ingredients
1 1/3 cups (230 g or 8 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (480 mL) whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: 1/2-1 tablespoon espresso powder (or instant coffee) - leave out if you’re not a coffee fan or if you’re making this for kids!
3/4 cups mini eggs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped oreos
topping:
1 cup (240 mL) whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chopped mini eggs
to make the chocolate filling
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds so it doesn’t burn (alternatively, use a double boiler on the stove). Set aside.
Note: The butter helps the chocolate resist seizing by adding more fat. The chocolate should be nice and glossy once melted. Let it cool slightly before adding to the meringue, but not too much - we don’t want to have to reheat it)
Next, make the meringue: Place the egg whites and sugar in a medium heat proof bowl (not glass!), and whisk until combined. Place over a saucepan that has a few inches of water in it and bring the water to a boil. The mixing bowl with the sugar mixture should not be touching the water. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 160 degrees F, which ensures the egg whites are cooked and safe. Remove from heat, add salt, and whip on high speed until the mixture becomes thick, white, and glossy, about 5 minutes. You want medium stiff peaks here.
Once the meringue is ready, add all of the chocolate to it, and mix it together quickly with a hand mixer on low (or a whisk or spatula) until completely combined. Set aside.
(**Note: this is the part where the chocolate may seize and get chunky! The chocolate should be nice and glossy before you add it to the meringue…if it looks grainy at all, it may already be seizing and it won’t combine well at all. Don’t pause while you’re mixing them together, keep mixing quickly until it’s all combined and not streaky. When the cold cream is added we don’t want any chocolate chunks! BUT…if you do get chunky chocolate don’t fear! I promise that it will still taste great, it just may not quite have the exact mousse texture that we’re going for.)
In a large bowl, whip the whipping cream on high speed until medium peaks form. Add vanilla extract, and the espresso powder (if using). Mix together.
Finally, gently fold about half of the whipped cream into the chocolate meringue mixture until almost combined, and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Spread about half the filling over the chocolate crust, and then sprinkle the chopped mini eggs and oreos over top. Spread the remaining filling on top, and transfer to the fridge to set. Chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Before serving, whip the whipping cream until medium peaks form, and then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Spread over the pie, or pipe around the edge of the pie with a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Add more chopped mini eggs and serve.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for several months.
tips:
Make sure to completely mix the meringue and chocolate together before adding any whipped cream in. Adding cold whipped cream to chocolate can make it harden in little chunks, and won’t give you a smooth chocolate mousse texture!
Freeze the pie and serve frozen for an ice cream cake type texture!
If meringue freaks you out too much, you may be able to simple sub in store bought marshmallow fluff….BUT I haven’t been able to test this out yet, so use at your own risk!
Mini egg amounts may be adjusted depending on your own tastes - there is no wrong answer! If you’d prefer to simply stir them in for a more even distribution, do it! You can also sub in with any other chocolate or oreo cookies for a different take.
Happy mini egg baking!
-Kelsey
