Mississippi Mud Pie

Oh dear lord in heaven.

I think I have found my ultimate dessert.

And I knew it. I knew it the moment I set my doe-eyed sights on it when I was leafing through this genius-ness:

I didn’t care if I didn’t make a single other recipe in the entire book. I just knew I had to have it.

It being Mississippi Mud Pie.

Oh, yes. Yes please.

It’s layer upon layer of orgasmic tasty magic.

Chocolate wafer crust.

Homemade dark chocolate fudge.

Espresso fudge ice cream.

Toasted pecans.

And another very, very generous “drizzle” of chocolate fudge ganache.

I don’t really know how to express how incredible this pie is. It’s almost like an intense chocolate bar. You can pick it up with your hands and just bite into it, all the flavors exploding with intensity one after another. There’s so many textures you don’t even know what to like best; the crumbly cookie, the dense fudge, the creamy ice cream?  The toasted nuts add the perfect salty contrast, achieving that brilliance that maybe only chocolate pretzels and salted caramel hot chocolate can boast.

 

Just…just make this. Trust me. Please.

 

Mississippi Mud Pie, from Baked Explorations

Ingredients:

1. For the Chocolate Crust:

• 30 chocolate wafer cookies, about 6 ounces
• 1 TBS granulated sugar
• 6 TBS (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2. For the Filling:

• 4 ox good-quality dark chocolate (60-72%)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS heavy cream
• 2 TBS light corn syrup
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 TBS Kentucky bourbon (I omitted)
• 1 pint good-quality coffee ice cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

3. For the (Bourbon) Fudge Topping

• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 TBS light corn syrup
• 3 oz good-quality dark chocolate (60-72%)

Directions:

1. Make the Chocolate Cookie Crust:

In a food processor, pulverize the wafer cookies into a very fine crumb. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Place crumbs into a bowl, add the sugar, and stir until combined.

Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix well. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press it ino the bottom and up the sides. Use the back of a large spoon to get an even crust. Set the crust aside in the refrigerator.

2. Make the Filling:

Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, butter, and corn syrup to a simmer. Remove the mixture from the heat, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 1 minute. Then whisk the chocolate mixture until it is completely smooth. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and bourbon.

Spread the fudge evenly over the bottom of the pie crust, cover it, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Soften the coffee ice cream by placing the container in the microwave for 10 seconds on high. Put it into a large bowl and use a rubber spatula to beat it until it is slightly malleable. Spread the ice cream over the chilled fudge filling, sprinkle it with pecans, gently pressing them into the ice cream, and freeze the pie for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the ice cream is firm.

3. Make the (Bourbon) Fudge Topping

In a small sauce pan over low heat, heat the cream, butter, and corn syrup together until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until the fudge is smooth– if you still have a few stray chocolate chunks, reheat the mixture over very low heat until they are completely melted. Stir in the bourbon, if choose to include.

Beat the fudge topping until it reaches room temperature, and pour it over the ice cream and pecan layer in a zigzag patten. Freeze the Mississippi Mud Pie until it is set, about 20 minutes. to serve the pie, cut it with a warmed sharp knife. The pie will keep in the freezer, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.