This Mint Chocolate Pie is the perfect sweet treat to add to your holiday menu. It’s easy to make, with plenty of cheats along the way, and it tastes absolutely delicious. With a silky and rich whipped ganache filling, this pie will make you want to sing some Christmas carols or will make the perfect sweet accompaniment while you watch a classic or an overly sweet holiday movie.
I love a Christmas pie. We usually eat so much during the holidays that by the time we get to dessert, we pick at the trays of cookies. Most of the time, I end up grabbing a plate full of favorites at the end of the night and just save them for the next couple of weeks. That’s why I started making a Christmas pie–something that was a bit different to be savored with a cup of coffee rather than picked at while standing and watching the kids open gifts. (All this to say, I still love Christmas cookies and if given the opportunity will bake more than necessary).
And yes, I know that I should be focused on Thanksgiving recipes right now, but I just couldn’t help getting into the Christmas spirit a bit early. I’ve had Christmas music playing since before Halloween (thank you Hallmark for the Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit version of Winter Wonderland that has become a multiple-times-a-day listen). I just couldn’t resist making a perfect-for-winter pie. Rich and cooling with a mint flavor that isn’t overwhelming and doesn’t taste like toothpaste (high standards, I know), this pie was just the touch of comfort that I needed this week.
This pie couldn’t be much easier. If you don’t like making pie crust, you can easily use a store-bought crust. Whether it’s one that you need to bake or if it’s already baked and just ready to fill, that’s up to you, just skip the crust instructions below! The filling is made of Andes mints and heavy cream with just a little touch of vanilla and salt to amplify the flavors. The most complicated bit might be whipping it until fluffy and even that is easy. Just make sure the ganache is firm enough so that if you were to take a spoonful, the shape will hold.
Even the whipped topping is optional and I’m leaving that fully up to you. Admission: I just top mine with Cool Whip to keep this extra stress free. So if you want to make your own, whip up some more heavy cream with a couple of tablespoons of sugar until you have soft peaks and spread across the top. No one needs to know if you cheat it just a little bit to keep any unneeded stress away ;).
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25-35 minutes |
| Servings |
slices
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- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 170 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 Tbsp vodka
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ice water as needed, 1-2 Tbsp at a time
- 500 grams Andes mints divided into 460 grams and 40 grams
- 230 mL heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- whipped topping (optional)*
Ingredients
All Butter Single Pie Crust
Mint Chocolate Filling
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- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your finger tips, rub in the cold cubes of butter until you have mostly pea-sized chunks of butter covered in flour; you should have a few larger chunks as well. Using a knife or your fingertips, stir in the vodka and apple cider vinegar until large chunks of dough begin to clump together. Add in the ice water 1-2 Tbsp at a time until you can form the dough into a ball. Shape into a flat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and preheat a large baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Lightly grease a 9" pie dish about 1.5"-2" deep.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Lightly flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about 1/4" thick and it's about an inch larger than your pie dish all the way around. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and lift into the prepared pie dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom edges being careful not to stretch it. Trim any excess around the top and crimp or decorate as desired. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork and chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until cold and solid.
- Line the chilled pie dough with a piece of parchment paper and fill with ceramic pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice to keep the pastry from falling down the sides of the dish and from puffing at the center. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and return to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and take out the parchment paper and weights. Continue to bake 5-10 minutes until the edges of your pie are golden brown and the crust is fully baked through. Remove the pie crust from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack*.
- Chop 500 grams of Andes mint into small pieces. Set aside 40 grams and transfer the remaining 460 grams to a medium bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy whipping cream until it simmers and just begins to boil. Pour the cream over the 460 grams of Andes mints. Give the bowl a shake to make sure all of the chocolate is covered with the cream and leave for 1-2 minutes so that the chocolate begins to melt in the heat of the cream. Using a rubber spatula, start to stir from the center of the bowl until everything begins to mix together. You should be left with a smooth, shiny ganache. Stir in the vanilla and the salt.
- Set the ganache aside, or set it in the fridge, until it begins to firm up. You want it to be firm enough so that you can take a spoonful from the bowl and the chocolate won't fill in the empty space. It'll be a truffle-like texture.
- Transfer the firmed ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer, or into large bowl if using a hand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high to high until the ganache becomes lighter in color and looks fluffy. This shouldn't take too long, but you might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl 1-2 times to make sure you get all of the ganache.
- Spoon the whipped ganache into the cooked pie crust and smooth over the top. Chill until the ganache is firm.
- If desired, top with a whipped topping of your choice and and sprinkle over the remaining 40 grams of Andes mints. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
*I'm super impatient, so I sometimes like to cool my baked crust on the rack for 10 minutes and then transfer to the freezer to cool a bit faster.