This dessert is why I ate my broccoli the other day. 😉 You guys, this mousse concoction is freaking amazing and I’m seriously bonkers over it.
It all started when I thought I’d make a simple chocolate mousse for dessert. I’ve made this chocolate mousse by itself many times and it’s outstanding. It’s super rich, decadent and thick.
However, I was going to be serving this dessert to family and I wanted some wow factor and a little holiday flair so the mousse alone didn’t do it for me. Then I thought I’d turn it into a chocolate mousse pie, but for some reason that wasn’t hitting me either.
My husband suggested that we make a graham cracker crust and break it up into pieces to create sort of a chocolate mousse parfait effect. Hey, now we’re on to something! I mean, who does’t love a classic graham cracker crust? I ate some of the pieces by themselves like cookies. I highly recommend it. 🙂
This is my eggnog recipe of the holiday season. I gotta have one, right? I actually almost didn’t have one this year because eggnog seemed to only taste delicious in a glass to me. Then it came to me… homemade eggnog whipped cream. How awesome would that be? I’m going to go with very awesome because it’s eggnog and whipped cream. Duh. Don’t forget that sprinkling of nutmeg on top! After all, no eggnog is complete without it.
My husband helped me to get the proportions of whipping cream to eggnog just perfect. It was actually a little trickier than he suspected it would be at first. When you think of eggnog, if you are anything like me, you imagine it being super fatty and terrible for you. Picturing it that way, my husband actually theorized that he would be able to directly whip the eggnog. Then he checked the nutritional information panels of eggnog and whipping cream and laughed at how wrong he was. Compared to whipping cream, eggnog is diet health food.
For the record, this eggnog whipped cream can also be used on top of coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, other pies, or of course eaten by the spoonful. Just saying.
You can absolutely make these ahead of time. You can even make the whipped cream ahead of time too, but you may need to whip it up again to bring it back to life (so to speak). I’d personally recommend making the whipped cream right when you’re ready to serve it (and do the work and the dishes only once).
Who knew that eggnog and chocolate were a good match? Seriously, I had no idea until now. I figured I’d try it because everything tastes good with chocolate. I had a Plan B in my back pocket if it didn’t work out… plain whipped cream. If you’re not feeling eggnog-y or want to make this dessert in July when eggnog is no longer available, then Plan B is a great Plan A. 🙂
I have to say that I think this is one of my favorite desserts of all time. It’s got chocolate going on, so that’s a good start. The crunchy graham cracker crust is a lovely compliment to the thick mousse and soft whipped cream. Textures… check. The graham cracker and chocolate duo is a classic and the eggnog whipped cream gives it a wonderful holiday twist. Flavor… check, check, check.
Now this is dessert to impress! Who cares that there’s a bazillion calories going on here. I enjoyed every single bite and I probably would have licked the glass if I weren’t trying to be all lady like in front of my in-laws.
Deconstructed Chocolate Mousse Pie With Eggnog Whipped Cream Recipe
(4 servings)
Note, requires a minimum of 1 hour chilling time.
Ingredients for Crust:
- 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs (equivalent to about 6 full sheets of graham crackers)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse:
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped (I used Baker’s Bittersweet Baking Chocolate)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups whipped topping, thawed (I used Kraft Cool Whip)
Ingredients for Eggnog Whipped Cream:
- 1/2 cup eggnog
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ground nutmeg for dusting on top
Directions for Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place a silicone mat or parchment paper on top of a baking sheet and set it aside.
- In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.
- Add the sugar and drizzle in the melted butter. Blend until all of the ingredients are combined.
- Spread the graham cracker crumb mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, making roughly a 9 x 7 inch rectangle. Press the crumbs down firmly.
- Bake the crust in the preheated oven for about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Allow the crust to cool.
Directions for Chocolate Mousse:
Note, make this when you are ready to build the mousse cup, i.e. the crust has cooled.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, add the whipping cream. Microwave it on high for 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes or until the cream comes to a boil.
- Add in the chopped chocolate and stir until it’s completely melted.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Let it cool for about 5 minutes or until the mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Using a whisk, gently stir in the whipped topping until it’s well blended.
Directions for Eggnog Whipped Cream:
Note, place your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least 30 minutes prior to making the whipped cream. The cold makes it easier to whip.
Note, make the whipped cream when you are ready to serve.
- In the cold bowl, add the eggnog and whipping cream and whip together until you have formed stiff peaks.
Directions for Building the Deconstructed Chocolate Mousse Pies:
- Gently break up the cooked crust into pieces. I did a variety of sizes, but the size doesn’t matter. Note that it will be a tad crumbly.
- Place some of the broken crust pieces into each dessert dish.
- Evenly distribute the chocolate mousse on top of each crust. The mousse will be thick and will thicken even more once it’s chilled.
- Cover the dessert dishes with plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Place a dollop of eggnog whipped cream on top of the chilled chocolate mousse.
- Sprinkle with a dusting of ground nutmeg. A little goes a long way. (Use fresh nutmeg with a zester grater if you have it.)
- Finally…ready to serve.
Deconstructed Chocolate Mousse Pies with Eggnog Whipped Cream source: Tina’s Chic Corner
Chocolate Mousse source: Kraft
Here are some other awesome desserts.
Peanut Butter and Raspberry Mousse Shots
Wow that sounds awesome! Such a great idea, serving the mousse in glasses like that…and I’d definitely take extra of the whipped cream 🙂
Thanks much! I did put twice as much whipped cream on my serving… after I took these photos. 🙂
Now this is my kind of dessert!! And that eggnog whipped cream is genius! Chocolate-y and festive. 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
Oooo that eggnog whipped cream!! I love the sound of that! I have yet to make anything with eggnog this season … I need to fix that!
Oh yeah oh yeah!
Hmmm….chocolate mousse! Every night after dinner, I crave something sweet and my go-to is always chocolate. This mousse makes me feel so much better than eating half of a chocolate bar! Thanks for sharing 😀 Pinned!
I’m right with ya! Thanks so much for stopping by and for pinning. 🙂
Perfect portion control for a dessert I would have no problem knocking out the whole pie. Looks delicious. Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday
Portion control was one of my reasons for not wanting to do a whole pie! Great minds think alike. 🙂 Happy holidays, my friend!!
OMG! You had to go and remind me of chocolate mousse… why!!? Why?! Tina! Your killin me! Ok – so I’ll tell you…. chocolate mousse is a weakness of mine. A terrible weakness. I would not have been lady like. I would have licked my bowl and then I’d be off to get more… So the mousse is one thing. Then you had to go and put eggnog whip on it?! Whaaaa!?!? Tina! Genius! I love the flavor profile of this dessert, especially with the grahams. Fabulous, delicious! Thank you, Tina! (and your husband!).
Hehe. I’m glad you approve. 🙂