CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT FRENCH SILK PIEfeatured

I have two addictions. The Olympics and Christmas. My world basically stops for both of these things. The Olympics only comes around every two years, but at least with Christmas I get my fix once a year… and maybe a few times more when I secretly listen to Christmas carols when I’m having a bad day. Go ahead and judge. I don’t care. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” has done the trick many a time when I’ve been close to tears. No shame.

Not surprisingly all I want to do this time of year is bake. And bake some more. And then bake again. This recipe can easily be made without the peppermint flavor the other 11 months of the year. Just leave it out for all you chocolate purists. Or you can be like me and keep it in and secretly celebrate Christmas whenever you are having a bad day. No judging here. In fact, invite me over and so we can inappropriately sing carols and eat pie together in April… or July… or whenever. I’m game. Every time.

* A few notes: I try to avoid recommending ingredients that aren’t mainstream unless I genuinely feel it makes a difference in the end result. And in this case, I recommend baker’s sugar. You really do want to use this. Trust me. It’s easy to find; most grocery stores have it right in the sugar section. It’s typically in a box above the regular sugar. The reason you want to use this is because it’s much much finer than regular sugar and will blend into the pie easier. Using regular sugar will produce a grainier texture. It will still taste good, but just won’t have the smooth consistency you want in a French Silk pie. Consider this your baking PSA for the day.

Additionally, use pasteurized eggs if you are concerned about the eggs being raw. I’ve pounded enough raw cookie dough in my lifetime that I don’t really worry about raw eggs in things, but I totally get if this is a concern. Go with pasteurized eggs to be safe.

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint French Silk Pie  |  Soundtrack: Bing Crosby

• CRUST
• 1 bag of Oreos
• 6-8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• PIE
• 6 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup baker’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• WHIPPED TOPPING
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4-1/2 cup crushed candy canes
• Garnish with extra chocolate shavings and crushed candy canes

Directions:
To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a 9-inch pie dish and set aside.

Using a knife, scrape out the filling of the Oreos and place just the chocolate cookies into a food processor or a blender. Pulse until the cookies are coarsely ground. While you are grinding the cookies, place the butter into a microwave safe dish and microwave until the butter is melted. Add to the ground cookies until the mixture feels and resembles wet sand.

Turn the cookie crumbs out into the pie dish and using your hands start to press the crumbs into the pie dish making sure the sides and bottom are completely covered. I like to use the back of a measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish. It helps ensure the the crust is even.

Place into the refrigerator or freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill. Remove from the refrigerator and bake for 12 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

To make the filling:
To melt the chocolate: fill a large pan of water on the stove and bring to a simmer. Place chocolate into a metal bowl and place over the water so it’s floating on top; I usually use a pot holder to hold the bowl since it can get hot. Using a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate around until it’s melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the water and set aside. You can do this in the microwave as well, but chocolate burns very easily this way and I get irritated when I waste good chocolate.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and the sugar. Beat on high until it’s very light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes. The mixture will look almost white. This step helps the sugar dissolve so your pie will be smooth. Periodically stop the mixer to scrape down the sides to make sure it’s all blended.  Add the vanilla, peppermint, salt and chocolate. Beat on high again until it’s incorporated, about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, remove the paddle attachment and switch to your whisk attachment. Add one egg and beat on high for 5 minutes. Do not shorten this step. It needs to beat for this long to start to get the right texture. After 5 minutes, scrape down the sides and add each egg one at a time beating for 5 minutes after each one for a total of 20 minutes. I typically set my timer and do the dishes while this is happening. Viva multitasking.

After the 20 minutes is up and all 4 of the eggs are incorporated, test the pie to make sure it’s smooth and silky and isn’t at all grainy. If it needs a little more time, beat it for a bit longer. Continue beating until it’s as smooth as you like. It will be runny, don’t worry, it will set in the refrigerator.

Once your pie is silky, turn it out into your prepared pie crust and place in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, but ideally overnight to set properly.

To make the whipped topping:
In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat on high until it’s starts to thicken. Add the candy canes until the flavor is a pepperminty as you like. Beat until it’s thick.

Right before you are ready to serve the pie, top with the peppermint cream and sprinkle extra crushed candy canes and shaved chocolate for the top.

Keep the pie refrigerated.

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