This fun, festive holiday pie is what happens when peppermint bark candy meets a light and fluffy cloud! First, you'll taste fluffy whipped cream and crunchy peppermint bits, then white chocolate peppermint mousse studded with more peppermint bits. Next, there's fudgy chocolate ganache and a crunchy chocolate cookie crust! I can't wait to make this pie again!
1tablespooninstant vanilla pudding mixif not serving right away
1cupheavy cream
1/4cuppowdered sugar
Topping Options:
Crushed candy canes
North Pole:
Peppermint stick with white round candy
Frosting to glue together
Instructions
Chocolate Cookie (Oreo) Crust (If making homemade)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Crush chocolate sandwich cookies using a chopper, food processor or crushing in a zip top bag.
Stir melted butter into crumbs.
Spray pie plate with non-stick spray.
Press crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. (I like to use a flat bottomed measuring cup to help press the crumbs in.)
Bake 10 minutes. Then let cool completely. (Can be made a day ahead.)
Ganache Mixtures:
Place the two different types of chocolate chips each in a small heat proof bowl.
Heat heavy cream just till it's about to boil.
Pour 1/3 cup of the hot cream over the chocolate chips in each of the bowls.
Let sit for a couple minutes, then stir until smooth. (If all the chips aren't melted after a few minutes, you can microwave for 20 seconds and stir some more.)
Let cool to room temperature - will thicken.
Spread the room temperature semi-sweet chocolate ganache into the pie crust - spread evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Place in refrigerator.
White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse:
Using an electric mixer with whisk accessory. whip the heavy cream and the pudding mix until thick, fluffy and forms stiff peaks. Remove to a separate bowl.
Switch to the regular beater or flex edge beater. Use the same bowl you whipped the cream in.
Beat the cream cheese and the room temperature white chocolate ganache mixture until smooth.
Mix in the powdered sugar, peppermint and vanilla exctracts.
Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Stir in crushed candy canes.
Gently stir in half the whippped cream mixture - this will lighten-up mixture. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream by hand. (to keep it fluffy).
Spoon the mousse mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Whipped Cream & Toppings:
Whip the 1 cup heavy cream (and pudding mix if you won't be serving right away) until starting to thicken. Add the powdered sugar. Whip until thick and fluffy.
Pile the whipped cream onto the center of the chilled pie, spread gently - allowing some of the pink filling to show around the edge. (You can top with the whipped cream a few hours before serving - the pudding mix helps to keep the whipped cream from weeping. Keep in refrigerator.)
Right before serving sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies and top with a peppermint stick "North Pole" if desired! (see note)
The first piece of pie is always the trickiest to cut. For this one, you'll need to press firmly to cut through the crunchy cookie crust. I recommend wiping the knife after each cut, so the slices of pie stay nice and neat.
Notes
To Make Peppermint Stick North Pole:I printed the words "North Pole" and cut in the shape of a little flag, I could wrap around a peppermint stick and glue together.For the peppermint stick, you can simply use a candy cane or sometimes you can find thicker peppermint sticks that don't have the curved cane top. I used some white store bought decorating frosting to "glue" a white round candy onto the top of the thick peppermint stick.The white round candies I found were called Hershey's Cookies & Creme Bites. A white gumball would work well too!I wanted to make my white round candy look sparkly - so I brushed it lightly with beaten egg white and dipped in granulated sugar.
Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)