It’s been awhile since I last posted on Project Pastry Love. I purposely stayed away. It wasn’t because I wasn’t baking. I baked quite a bit these last couple of months. I just was empty of words. Looking back I realize that I haven’t been myself. I didn’t know it at the time, but I see it now. I’ve been sad.
Lots has happened since we last spoke. A friend passed away, I had a minor health scare, I made this Mississippi Mud Pie, my parents moved, we had a wonderful yet very emotional visit from a special someone, I made this delicious Mississippi Mud Pie again, I had mommy worries, I made this amazing Mississippi Mud Pie again, winter was a big jerk to everyone, and I made this most incredible Mississippi Mud Pie. Again.
Life seems to be getting back to normal now. Summer has begun. You can hear the splashing in the pools, and smell the barbecues in the air.
And I feel happier.
I think I’ll make Mississippi Mud Pie again.
I got this recipe from Cook’s Country because everything they do is perfect. I’ll give it to you straight, though– this pie is an all day affair, but don’t let that deter you. There are four stages to making Mississippi Mud Pie, and each stage is easy. I’ll break it down.
Stage 1: The Chocolate Cookie Crust
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a food processor, pulse plain, chocolate cookies until finely ground. Pour in melted butter, and pulse until the cookie crumbs are nicely coated. Press this mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, and bake for about 15 minutes. Easy peasey, so far.
Stage 2: The Gooey Brownie Layer
Keep that oven going at 325 F. Prepare the brownie batter (melted chocolate, melted butter, oil, and cocoa that is mixed with eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and finally flour). Pour the batter over the still warm cookie crust, and sprinkle fine sea salt all around the top.
Stage 2 and 1/2: Baking The Gooey Brownie Layer:
You want the brownie portion of the pie to be just barely baked. I find taking the internal temperature is your best bet to achieve success. Take the pie out of the oven when the temperature reads 180 degrees F.
Stage 3: The Milk Chocolate Mousse
Don’t be scared… this is a very easy mousse to make. No egg yolks! Just whipped cream, cocoa, chocolate, powdered sugar, and salt. You must use a candy thermometer during this process though. It’s most important that the melted chocolate, and some of the cream is mixed with the other ingredients when they reach a certain temperature.
Smooth the mousse on top of the baked, and cooled brownie layer.
Finally, make a crunchy, chocolate cookie topping and then sprinkle it over top. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Enjoy!!
