If you’re not sold on tofu or the spicy/sweet combo, you will just need to trust me now and thank me later. Tofu lends all of the creamy texture and none of its own flavor. And for those who have experienced Mexican hot chocolate, the flavor combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and chili pepper will be familiar.
This pie is quick and easy enough to whip up any day of the week – and sometimes it is a random indulgence for just me and Hans. But what I like best is to share it with friends and family, watching their reactions to hearing the ingredients and tasting the flavors.
A note about the chili powder: Use your discretion. 1/4 tsp. of chili powder from the average US grocery store probably won’t make your pie taste spicy (unless you have an especially low spice tolerance). That said, we buy our chili powder in bulk from a local Asian/African market; it is quite a bit spicier than the McCormick product that we had previously, and 1/4 tsp. will make your mouth burn.
Spicy Chocolate Mousse Pie
Prep Time: 5/30 minutes l Cook Time: 0/10 minutes l Chill Time: 2-4 hours l Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 store-bought graham cracker crust 😉
- 10 graham crackers
- 3 Tbsp. sugar (if crackers don’t have it)
- 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. plain milk (almond, dairy, etc.)
- 16 oz. silken tofu
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chips or bar)
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. chili powder (or reduce/skip this if you’re not excited about the slightly spicy kick)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin.
- Grind the graham crackers in a food processor (or using a potato masher, crushing them by hand in a plastic bag, etc.) until they have turned into fine crumbs.
- Add the sugar, salt, butter, and milk, and pulse (or incorporate manually) until the mixture clumps together.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie tin until fully covered.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until it reaches a light golden color. Set aside to cool.
- Optional: Melt your chocolate in a saucepan or in the microwave.
- I have literally never done this. My old blender wasn’t very powerful, which resulted in a little extra texture that I didn’t mind. Now I swear my Vitamix blender can make the texture just as smooth as if I did melt the chocolate.
- Drain the excess liquid from the tofu and add it and the rest of the filling ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until everything is well combined. You may need to scrape the sides of the blender with a spatula part way through.
Assembly:
- Pour the filling mixture into the crust.
- Cover with foil, plastic wrap… or the plastic lid that came with the crust you bought from the store!
- Chill in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours, but 4+ is better).
This recipe was adapted from The New York Times’ Vegan Mexican Chocolate Pie.