Mississippi Mud Pie
Its origins may be Mississippi, but one thing's for sure: Any other sweet is hard to compete with this layered masterpiece comprising a graham-cracker base, brownie, and pudding, all crowned by whipped cream. It all makes for a rich (and delicious) treat, and that's the point.
chocolate Teddy Grahams, 15 graham crackers, or 40 Oreo cookies, filling removed
(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
granulated sugar, optional, omit if you prefer a less sweet crust
Nutella
large eggs, room temperature
chocolate hazelnut bar, chopped, optional
all-purpose flour
granulated sugar
cornstarch
cocoa powder
Kosher salt
half & half
large egg yolks
unsalted butter
bittersweet or milk chocolate, chopped
pure vanilla extract
(16 oz.) heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar, optional
pure vanilla extract, optional
optional garnishes: cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, nuts, cookie crumbs
- Make the Crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 325°. Line the bottom of a 9” springform pan with parchment paper.
- Add cookies (or graham crackers) to a food processor, and pulse until crumbs form. (If you don’t have a food processor you can use a rolling pin to crush them in a ziplock bag.)
- Add cookie crumbs to a bowl and stir in melted butter and (optional) sugar. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom and about 1" up the sides of the pie plate/springform pan. (Don’t press too hard.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
- Make the Brownie: Preheat the oven to 350°. Add the Nutella to a small microwavable bowl, and microwave it in 30-second intervals, until the consistency is sauce-like. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer the Nutella to a large bowl, and whisk in 1 egg at a time. Add the flour and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the optional chocolate bar pieces, then add the brownie mixture to the prepared pie crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Make the Pudding: In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the half-and-half and egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and pudding-like, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, chopped chocolate, and vanilla extract. Let cool.
- Assemble the Pie/Whip the Cream: Spread all of the pudding into an even layer on top of the brownie. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate until cold. Chill for 4 to 6 hours, or up to overnight.
- Before serving, whip the heavy cream with (optional) powdered sugar and vanilla, until some soft peaks form.
- Remove plastic wrap and spread whipped cream in an even layer on top. Dust with optional cocoa powder, chocolate shavings and/or nuts and cookie crumbs.
- When ready to serve, remove the pie from the springform pan.
