I created Texas Flood Pie during the floods here in 2015. It's made with chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate...and peanut butter... and marshmallows...and pecans. This easy pie has it all, piled high and ready for any potluck or special occasion. No baking!
½cupsalted buttermelted and allowed to become golden brown
½teaspoonvanilla saltbut good, optional
For Dark Chocolate Ganache
1cupbittersweet chocolate chips
½cupheavy creamwhipping
1tablespoonbutter
For Peanut Butter Mousse
1cupplus 2 tablespoons heavy creamwhipping, divided use
8ouncescream cheeseroom temperature
1cupcreamy peanut butter
1cuppowdered sugar
½cupmilk chocolate chips
For Topping
½cupmini marshmallows
½cupchopped pecans
½cupchocolate chipsmilk, bittersweet, or a combination
For Milk Chocolate Ganache
½cupheavy creamwhipping
1cupmilk chocolate chips
1tablespoonwhite corn syrup
1tablespoonbutter
Instructions
For Crust
Preheat the oven to 400F
Put the crackers in the blender or food processor and pulse until they are crumbs.
Mix in the vanilla salt if using.
Mix with the butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch pie plate.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until set.
Remove from oven and cool.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Bring the cream just under a boil in a large bowl in the microwave or in a heavy pan on the stove.
Remove from heat.
Add the chocolate and butter. Stir until melted and smooth.
Spread the chocolate over the crust and place in the freezer.
Peanut Butter Mousse
Whip the cream in the mixer on high until peaks form but be careful not to overwhip.
Set aside
Melt the ½ cup chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons heavy cream.
Stir until smooth.
Allow to cool.
Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, cooled chocolate mixture, and sugar together until smooth and blended.
Whip in the cream being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Pile on top of the ganache, sprinkle with the chopped pecans, milk chocolate chips, and marshmallows and put back in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
Bring the remaining ½ cup cream just under a boil.
Stir in the chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter.
Stir until well blended and shiny.
Drizzle over the nut and marshmallow layer.
Return to the freezer until 20 minutes before serving.
Allow to stand at room temp for 20 minutes before cutting.
Video
Notes
Storage:Whether leftover or freshly made, keep the pie in the freezer for best results. Cover it with plastic wrap or the lid of your pie dish (if it has one.)Remove the pie from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. You can also cut leftovers into individual slices before freezing, so you don't have to thaw the whole pie just to enjoy one slice.Like any classic mud pie, you can keep this frozen for up to six months. (For long-term storage, add extra plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.)Tips
Be sure to use a regular commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter won't work.
If you don't have a food processor, crush the crackers in a plastic bag or use a large bowl and a muddler/wooden mallet.
Watch the butter closely while it's melting, and use low heat. Butter goes from browned and fragrant to burnt in the blink of an eye!
Don't try to substitute the heavy cream with another dairy or non-dairy substitute. It won't have the stability (or creaminess) this pie needs.
Make the mousse with a stand or hand mixer. However, if using a stand mixer, don't walk away. It's easy to get distracted and overwhip it!
Use regular cream cheese—not whipped, low-fat, or the kind in a tub. Otherwise, your mousse/cream cheese layer will be watery and flat.
Mississippi Mud/Texas Flood Pie is best chilled. Pull it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for just twenty minutes before serving. Any longer, and you may have a real mud flood on your hands!
You can use a premade crumb crust if you like ... it's not as good but if you buy one add a sprinkle of kosher salt to the crust before add the first layer of ganache.