Summertime in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) area means one obvious thing: Dang it is HOT out! My neighbors hosted a happy hour last week and asked me to make something sweet to add to their always amazing savory party spreads. Since it has been so humid and hot I decided I wanted to make something served cold. This is a dessert well-worth indulging in. The milk-chocolate mousse freezes in a way that reminds me of the creamy gelato I had in Italy, absurdly smooth and silky. The layer of raspberry preserves on the bottom adds just the right amount of tartness complimenting the mousse and chocolate-cookie crust, which is very simple to make. There is NO baking involved here, however you will want to make this a day ahead of time so it freezes all the way through. It’s the perfect dessert to make for celebrations and/or for impressing your guests any time of year.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I use a springform pan that seems to be larger than your typical round cake pan (cake pans usually are 8″-9″ in diameter). So if you use a smaller springform pan that is the same size as a standard round cake pan (close to 8″-9″ diameter) or if you opt to buy a pre-made graham cracker pie crust instead of making the one in this recipe you should cut the recipe in half. When I make it as written below I even have some extra mousse that I pour into a couple small glasses as an extra treat for my kids. It is basically like serving them milk chocolate gelato. YUM! Picture below is of a regular cake pan next to my springform pan so you can see how much larger my springform pan is.
RECIPE TUNES (because everything is always better with music)
Cult Logic by Miike Snow • Fallss by Bayonne • Talk by Why Don’t We
INGREDIENTS
- 1 family size package of double stuff Oreos (1 lb. 4 oz.) Pictured below.
- 1 stick plus 3 tbsp of butter
- 6 eggs (Separate 4 of the eggs keeping both the yolks and the whites. The other two eggs you will use but do not separate them.)
- 12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips
- 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream
- 1 12-14 oz. jar of raspberry jam or preserves (I use the ones with seeds but with or without, both are terrific.)
- 1 large tub of your preferred whipped topping
Optional:
- Fresh raspberries to top off/decorate dessert with
LET’S COOK!
- Using your food processor pulse all of your Oreos until they are crumbed.
- Melt or soften your butter and add it to your Oreos. Pulse again in your processor until the butter and cookies are combined well.
- Pour cookie crumb mix into your pan and gently press throughout the sides and bottom until it is evenly distributed as seen below. (Using the bottom of a glass to press the crust can be helpful.) The edges can be rough and slightly different heights, it actually looks kinda cool that way when it is finished.
- Using your standing mixer or using a hand mixer stiffly beat your egg whites until peaks form. When finished transfer the beaten whites into a bowl and place in your fridge to keep chilled. You will be using them again soon.
- Clean and dry off your mixer and then stiffly whip your heavy whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Add the whipped cream to the bowl you placed in your fridge with your beaten egg whites and place back in the fridge for a few minutes while you melt your chocolate.
- Using a double boiler, melt your milk chocolate chips until they are smooth.
- Take off the heat and beat in the 4 egg yolks you had set aside when you separated your eggs along with the 2 full eggs not yet used.
- Once your chocolate and eggs are all combined, carefully fold in your egg whites and beaten whipped cream. It is important that you FOLD the ingredients so that it doesn’t thin out the fluffiness of the beaten eggs and whipped cream. The airier you can keep it the lighter your mousse will be. I will however say that even if you over mix it it will still taste amazing it will simply be a more dense mousse. Set aside your mousse for just a second.
- Pour the jar of jam onto the bottom of your crust and spread it out evenly.
- Pour your mousse over top of your jam. Place it in the freezer overnight. (Depending on the size of your pan and crust you may have extra mousse. If you do you can freeze it in dessert glasses or bowls and serve them as frozen milk chocolate mousse treats.)
- Finally, when pie is frozen and you are ready to serve it remove the outer edge of your springform pan and place your cake on a serving dish or plate. Top it off with whipped cream and raspberries.
ENJOY!!
INGREDIENT VISUALS
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