This is a holiday pie with multiple steps that are very worth it! I do realize many of you won’t only be bringing a pie for your holiday spread and you may be looking for some shortcuts. Tips are below.

Crust: I wrote in a graham cracker crust for the recipe and grocery list, but here is a simple pie crust recipe should you prefer that. You could also do a store bought crust! Will your guests notice? Probably not. You can purchase a crust from the frozen section and blind bake it fully.

Booze: There is a bit of booze in the whipped cream. We call for whiskey or bourbon. You can swap for schnapps, baileys, or your favorite holiday liquor. If you’re worried about the alcohol content for kids, skip it!

Microwave: If you have one, it can be your friend when making the ganache and mousse. For the ganache, you can pour the cream into a microwave safe container and warm it for 30 seconds - 1 minute, pouring the hot cream over the chocolate. For the mousse, I suggest melting the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth and creamy.

Chocolate: You’ll need a lot of chocolate for this recipe. I love the Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s. They’re super high quality and affordable. Chocolate chips will also work but they have stabilizers so may change the pie’s texture.

Recipe inspired by The Vanilla Bean Baking Blog.