Chocolate Peppermint Pie
Topped with creamy whipped cream and large chocolate curls, this Chocolate Peppermint Pie is a tasty and impressive dessert to serve during the holiday season!
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There’s just something about the combination of dark chocolate and peppermint. For me, it screams holidays. It also screams delicious! This Chocolate Peppermint Pie features a chocolate filling topped with whipped cream. The peppermint flavor is noticeable, but not overpowering. Not only was this pie a hit in our house, but it gives you an excuse to crush candy canes with a rolling pin!
The crust for this Chocolate Peppermint Pie gets ‘baked blind,’ which is simply another way of saying that it gets baked by itself without any fillings. Once the crust is baked, the layers of dark chocolate filling and whipped cream get added. Top the whole thing with chocolate curls, and you’ve got a tasty holiday dessert!
Chocolate Peppermint Pie
Ingredients
- For the All Butter Pie Dough – 6 ingredients
- Flour: all-purpose flour
- Brown sugar: can use granulated sugar instead
- Salt: Table salt adds depth of flavor and makes the dough more tender
- Butter: If you use salted butter, omit the extra salt. I prefer using unsalted butter as it lets me control how much salt to add.
- Vodka: Leads to a flakier crust.
- Water: Binds the dough together.
- For the Chocolate Filling – 5 ingredients
- Dark chocolate chips: Can use milk chocolate if preferred
- Heavy whipping cream
- Peppermint extract: A little bit goes a long way!
- Powdered sugar: Dissolves easily and adds sweetness
- Candy cane: Mainly for looks, but also adds peppermint flavor
- For the Peppermint Whipped Cream – 4 ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar: Dissolves easily and adds sweetness
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor
- Candy canes: Mainly for looks, but also adds peppermint flavor
- For Chocolate Curls – 1 ingredient
- Semisweet chocolate bar: Adds fun visual appeal to the finished pie. Plus, more chocolate = more better!
I highly recommend making your own pie dough for this Chocolate Peppermint Pie, but if you want to simplify things a bit you can certainly use store-bought dough. I do still recommend making the homemade peppermint whipped cream, though – the store-bought stuff in cans isn’t even close to the real thing!
Quick tip: I’ve tried multiple methods for crushing candy canes, and several of them lead to candy cane bits all over the kitchen counter and floor. If you want to save yourself the clean-up effort, I’ve found that placing unwrapped candy canes in a ziptop bag and then gently rolling the bag with a rolling pin is the way to go. But if you enjoy seeing candy cane bits flying all over the kitchen, then skip the ziptop bag!
If you’re hunting for a fun holiday dessert, then put this pie on the list. We enjoyed this one quite a bit, and I suspect it will be making another appearance in our kitchen soon! Happy baking!
Did you bake this Chocolate Peppermint Pie at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Chocolate Peppermint Pie
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold
- 2 Tbsp vodka
- 2-4 Tbsp cold water
For the Chocolate Filling
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 candy cane finely crushed
For the Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 candy canes finely crushed and divided
- 1 4-oz. dark chocolate candy bar
Instructions
For the Dough
- Using a food processor, add flour, brown sugar and salt; pulse until well combined.
- Cut butter into small cubes and add to the food processor; pulse until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Add vodka and 2 Tbsp of water; pulse until well combined. Continue adding water 1 Tbsp at a time (and pulsing) until dough comes together in a ball.
- Shape dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight.)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Working on a well-floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12” circle.
- Transfer pie dough into pan and gently press dough into pan; Leave ~1” of overhang on all sides
- Fold excess dough under itself and use 2 fingers to crimp the edges. Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and use a fork to dock the dough every ~½”. Place foil on top of dough and fill with pie weights or coins.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil (and weights) and continue baking for 5 more minutes.
For the Chocolate Filling
- Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl; set aside.
- Using a microwave, heat ¼ cup of cream until hot. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let stand for 1 minute.
- Add peppermint extract and stir until smooth; set bowl aside to cool.
- Using an electric mixer, whip remaining ¾ cup of cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream and crushed candy cane into the chocolate mixture. Transfer filling into the baked pie shell.
For the Whipped Cream
- Using a medium bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract; whip until still peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold ½ of the crushed candy canes into the whipped cream.
- Spread whipped cream evenly on top of the chocolate filling. Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Before serving, shave the chocolate bar into curls using a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle chocolate curls and remaining crushed candy canes on top. (For larger chocolate curls, use this easy guide!)
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Cant wait to make this soon for me for the dough can i use vegan butter and skip vodka as i dont use vodka at home and filling and cream can i use coconut cream also i cant see vodka on your notes as i saw this recipe to see notes but cant find the notes for vodka i never had chocolate peppermint pie before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
You can certainly use just water in the dough, Ramya. I’m not sure how coconut cream sets up, though. Is it stiff enough to use in a pie like this? If so, go for it! If not, maybe hold off and try a different recipe instead.
There’s those crushed candy canes you said you loved to smash! Perfect job for little Robby! I love chocolate and peppermint together and this is perfect for Christmas. Not only will I be making this pie, I’ll be trying your crust. I’ve heard about adding vodka to the dough before, but I’ve never actually tried it!
Haha – you’re right! Those crushed candy canes are always fun. I know you can buy candy cane powder now, but I find crushing them much more fun…and satisfying! 🙂 Thanks, Kathy! (And, yes, try using 1/2 vodka in your pie dough next time. Once I tried that trick, I’ve never gone back.)
Wahh, can I come over for Christmas, David? This choco peppermint pie has me drooling over my keyboard! Everything I want in a pie, that’s for sure!
Haha – thanks so much, Michelle! We’d love to have you in Asheville for Christmas…come on over! 🙂
What a delicious holiday bake David! You’re absolutely right about the combination of dark chocolate and peppermint. So very appropriate at this time of year! Hope you guys are doing well and getting into the festive spirit!
We are indeed getting festive over here, Neil – it’s that time of the year. I’m ready to put my feet up and take some time off…and enjoy pie! 🙂 Hope you and Lynne are getting ready for the big guy in the red suit!
Wow you’ve really excelled yourself with this beautiful pie David. I’m sure it vanished right before your eyes. It looks perfect, and what a wonderful recipe for the pastry as well, using vodka. Top marks on this one. Happy holidays.
Haha – we did have a problem with this pie disappearing, Pauline. It was so weird. It was there one minute and then gone the next. I have no idea what happened. 🙂
i love chocolate and mint together – such a great combo. and i must remember your tip of using vodka when making pastry. when you mention whipped cream in a can … is that a flavoured cream or just plain? Sounds – interesting …
Haha – so whipped cream in a can must be an American thing. It’s literally a can with a nozzle top that you push and whipped cream comes out. However it’s far inferior in taste and texture when compared to the real thing. And, yes, do remember the vodka tip for making pie dough. Once I tried that, I’ve never gone back!
Peppermint/candy cane is one of our favourite flavours around the holidays. And this pie? Such a stunner! The ganache fillings looks so luxurious, smooth, and silky while the addition of candy cane makes it look so festive!
The candy cane really does add the final bit of fun to this pie…and it’s so satisfying to crush a candy cane. Call me strange! 🙂
Well, I do enjoy seeing peppermint candy flying all about the kitchen, just not at my house. The texture of your pie looks so perfect! And your chocolate curls are impressive. I always screw those up and wind up with shavings.
Haha – you make a good point, Jeff. Flying candy cane bits are awesome…in someone else’s kitchen. 🙂 And those chocolate curls? So easy to make! I learned how years ago when I was taking professional baking classes. It’s more time consuming that just shaving a chocolate bar, but the big curls take desserts to a new level. Give it a try! (The link to a very old post is in the recipe!)
I love this pie, luckily it’s not within my reach or it would be gone before I finished typing this.
Well David my friend, as the saying goes, “you’re never to old to learn”, I never though of the rolling pin method. I tried a hammer, that was a disaster. Tried my mini food chopper, but ended up with mostly dust, so next time it’s the rolling pin.
Yes, I also tried a hammer with candy canes once. That was a surprising result…and not surprising in the good way. Surprising in the “I had to stop and clean peppermint bits off of every surface in my kitchen” kinda way. The rolling pin is the way to go! Hope you guys are getting into the festive spirit over there, Ron!!
You have my attention whenever you use the words chocolate and peppermint in the same sentence. And this pie looks impossibly creamy! A real showstopper of a holiday treat, David!
This really is…err, was…a fun dessert, Marissa! The chocolate curls on top make it impressive, but the taste is what really steals the show. 🙂
Dark Chocolates and Peppermint is a really good combo, I bet this pie wont see the light of day when served at our dinner table
Haha – this pie didn’t last long here either, Raymund!