CRUST
25 cookies (roughly 5.5 ounces) of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (or other chocolate wafer cookies), broken into coarse pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
BROWNIE LAYER
4 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar (or other high-quality bittersweet chocolate), chopped fine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
TOPPING
10 chocolate wafer cookies (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
MOUSSE
6 ounces Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate (or other good-quality milk chocolate)
1 cup heavy cream, chilled and divided
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process cookie pieces in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and pulse until combined, about 6 pulses. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. [An 8-inch pie plate may be used if it's a deep one.] Bake until fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack.
2. FOR THE BROWNIE LAYER: Combine chocolate, butter, oil, and cocoa in bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, about 1½ minutes. In separate bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Whisk in chocolate mixture until incorporated. Whisk in flour until justcombined.
3. Pour brownie batter into crust (crust needn’t be cool at this point). Bake pie at 325-degrees until edges begin to set and toothpick inserted in center comes out with thin coating of batter attached, about 25 minutes. [You want an internal temperature of around 180-degrees F for a fudgy brownie layer]. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until fully chilled, about 1 hour longer.
4. FOR THE TOPPING: Meanwhile, line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies in zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal bag. Using rolling pin, crush cookies into ½- to ¾-inch pieces. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and crushed cookies in bowl. Stir in melted butter until mixture is moistened and clumps begin to form. Spread crumbs in even layer on prepared sheet and bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes, shaking sheet to break up crumbs halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool completely.
5. FOR THE MOUSSE: Once brownie layer has fully chilled, microwave chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, 1½ to 2 minutes. Let cool until just barely warm and registers between 90 and 100 degrees, about 10 minutes (if the chocolate is warmer than 100-degrees, it will deflate the mousse).
6. Microwave 3 tablespoons of the cream in small bowl until it registers 105 to 110 degrees, about 15 seconds. Whisk in sifted cocoa until homogeneous. [At this point, I like to give the mixture a run through the food processor or with an immersion blender to make sure it's completely smooth and incorporated; otherwise, you'll end up with teeny, tiny clumps of cocoa powder in the finished mousse]. Combine cocoa-cream mixture, sugar, salt, and remaining cream in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with whisk and whip cream mixture on medium speed until beginning to thicken, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 30 to 60 seconds.
7. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream mixture into melted chocolate to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream mixture until no dark streaks remain. Spoon mousse into chilled pie and spread evenly from edge to edge. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over and touching the surface of the mousse (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove plastic covering. Sprinkle with topping. Serve.
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
MOUSSE
6 ounces Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate (or other good-quality milk chocolate)
1 cup heavy cream, chilled and divided
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process cookie pieces in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and pulse until combined, about 6 pulses. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. [An 8-inch pie plate may be used if it's a deep one.] Bake until fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack.
2. FOR THE BROWNIE LAYER: Combine chocolate, butter, oil, and cocoa in bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, about 1½ minutes. In separate bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Whisk in chocolate mixture until incorporated. Whisk in flour until justcombined.
3. Pour brownie batter into crust (crust needn’t be cool at this point). Bake pie at 325-degrees until edges begin to set and toothpick inserted in center comes out with thin coating of batter attached, about 25 minutes. [You want an internal temperature of around 180-degrees F for a fudgy brownie layer]. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until fully chilled, about 1 hour longer.
4. FOR THE TOPPING: Meanwhile, line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies in zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal bag. Using rolling pin, crush cookies into ½- to ¾-inch pieces. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and crushed cookies in bowl. Stir in melted butter until mixture is moistened and clumps begin to form. Spread crumbs in even layer on prepared sheet and bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes, shaking sheet to break up crumbs halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool completely.
5. FOR THE MOUSSE: Once brownie layer has fully chilled, microwave chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, 1½ to 2 minutes. Let cool until just barely warm and registers between 90 and 100 degrees, about 10 minutes (if the chocolate is warmer than 100-degrees, it will deflate the mousse).
6. Microwave 3 tablespoons of the cream in small bowl until it registers 105 to 110 degrees, about 15 seconds. Whisk in sifted cocoa until homogeneous. [At this point, I like to give the mixture a run through the food processor or with an immersion blender to make sure it's completely smooth and incorporated; otherwise, you'll end up with teeny, tiny clumps of cocoa powder in the finished mousse]. Combine cocoa-cream mixture, sugar, salt, and remaining cream in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with whisk and whip cream mixture on medium speed until beginning to thicken, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 30 to 60 seconds.
7. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream mixture into melted chocolate to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream mixture until no dark streaks remain. Spoon mousse into chilled pie and spread evenly from edge to edge. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over and touching the surface of the mousse (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove plastic covering. Sprinkle with topping. Serve.
Alternatively, remove plastic wrap and pile high with a stabilized, sweetened whipped cream**. Sprinkle topping over whipped cream peaks. Serve.
[Note: the topping will soften the longer it is in contact with either the mousse or whipped cream, so it's best added right before serving].
***A quick and easy stabilized, sweetened whipped cream:
Melt about 10-15 mini marshmallows in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds at full power (you don’t want them crunchy and hard–that means you’ve overheated them–you want them bulbous and ballooned and just barely melted); add to 1 cup of chilled heavy whipping cream with a rounded tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; whisk/beat until peaks form.