Easy Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Easy Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Peanut butter mousse pie with chocolate ganache is a simple but delicious dessert that you can pull together in no time. With a crushed Oreo cookie crust, a light and fluffy peanut butter mousse filling, and a topping of chocolate ganache, it is a dish that will satisfy both the peanut butter lover and the chocolate lover in your life. Seemingly, the only downside is the inability to stop eating it!

Why You Should Give This a Try

• Salty and sweet: chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination that will satisfy so many different cravings! 
• This is a super easy recipe with very little actual baking involved.
• Peanut butter mousse pie is fancy enough to serve to guests, but simple enough to make to share at home with the family – or maybe to eat with a spoon alone on your couch.

Recipe Ingredients

Oreo Cookie Crust:

24 Oreos

5 tbsp butter

Peanut Butter Mousse:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

8 ounce package of Cool Whip

Chocolate Ganache:

½ cup heavy cream

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

Optional:

½ cup chopped roasted & salted peanuts

Ingredient Notes

Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter, not chunky or natural, is key to building the fluffy peanut butter mousse filling.

Oreos – Crushed Oreos serve as the chocolate cookie crust. You should use the regular cookies (not, sadly, Double Stuff Oreos) and you do not have to remove the cream filling.

Cream cheese – Make sure you are using full fat cream cheese. This isn’t a recipe for cutting corners! The cream cheese should be softened to room temperature before you begin.

Cool Whip – Cool Whip is such a versatile dessert ingredient. In this recipe, it really helps to create the airy mousse texture of your peanut butter layer. 

Roasted & salted peanuts – The chopped peanuts make a delicious garnish. You can do without them, but they definitely add texture.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Begin by preparing your chocolate cookie crust. You will need to crush the Oreos. Do this by placing whole cookies (no need to remove the cream) in a food processor and pulsing until there are no more big pieces. See the Tips & Tricks for what to do if you don’t own a food processor.

Step 3: Melt 5 tablespoons of butter either in a microwave or in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Step 4: Combine the crushed cookies and the melted butter, tossing with a fork to moisten the crumbs.

Step 5: Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. It works most efficiently if you start by pouring the crumbs into the bottom and then press them up the sides. I press gently on the bottom of the crust with a measuring cup, working the crumbs up the side.

Step 6: Bake the chocolate cookie crust at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes until set.

Step 7: Remove the pie crust from the oven and let it cool.

Step 8: While your pie crust cools, you can get to work on the peanut butter filling. Put the softened cream cheese and the peanut butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Note: You can also use a hand mixer if necessary.

Step 9: Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and creamy.

Step 10: Pour the powdered sugar into the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed until completely combined.

Step 11: Add your softened (room temperature) Cool Whip to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed until smooth.

Step 12: Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the bottom of the chocolate cookie crust, using an offset spatula to smooth it evenly.

Step 13: Next, prepare the chocolate ganache beginning with chopping four ounces of semisweet chocolate. Chop your pieces relatively small so that they will melt evenly in the next step.

Step 14: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set it aside.

Step 15: Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. It is ready when bubbles form at the edges. Do not let it boil.

Step 16: Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 5 minutes without touching it, then stir until the chocolate is melted and the cream incorporated.

Step 17: You have two choices with your chocolate ganache: you can either create a full chocolate layer by spreading it over the surface of the pie, or you can just drizzle it over the top. If you would like to layer, spoon the chocolate mixture over the top and even it out with an offset spatula. If you want to drizzle, you can use a large spoon and let it gently stream off the edge or a small squeeze bottle. I chose the drizzling because the pie is already very sweet – but then I went ahead and ate the extra ganache, so I suppose that didn’t help anything.

Step 18: Chop the roasted, salted peanuts. 

Step 19: Sprinkle the peanuts around the perimeter of the pie.

Step 20: Cover the pie with plastic wrap or non-stick aluminum foil and place it in the fridge until firm, at least six hours.

Voilà! An easy peanut butter mousse pie with chocolate ganache that is sure to delight peanut butter lovers and chocolate lovers alike.

Tips & Tricks

Make sure to take the time to let the cream cheese and Cool Whip come to room temperature. If you store your peanut butter in the fridge, you should let that come to room temperature as well.

The chocolate cookie crust is not difficult thing to make, but if you are looking to go even faster, you can buy Oreo cookie crumbs. They are usually located near the graham cracker crumbs in the baking aisle.

No food processor? Place the cookies in a large sealable plastic bag (I use a gallon Ziploc when I do it this way) and carefully hit the cookies with a rolling pin.

Try to get an even layer of about 1/4 inch on the edge of your Oreo cookie crust. You can level off the rim by running an index finger around the top. Push up a few more crumbs if necessary.

For dessert lovers with a real sweet tooth, try replacing the chopped peanuts with chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups. 

Storage

Store your leftover pie in the pie dish covered in plastic wrap or non-stick aluminum foil. You can also cut slices of pie and store them in an airtight container. No matter what you choose to do, be sure to put the leftovers in the fridge.