Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

My Peanut Butter Mousse Pie is made with a crunchy graham cracker-peanut crust filled with light and luscious peanut butter mousse. You can add optional jelly or chocolate for another layer of flavor. Me, I’m partial to hot-pepper jelly for a sweet-heat treat.

a peanut butter mousse pie on a table

Because we can’t have too many pies in the world, and because we can’t have too many peanut butter desserts, I give you Peanut Butter Mousse Pie!

Although you might think of mousse as a fancy or fussy dessert, once you understand the basic concept of it you’ll realize it’s quite simple. Really, it is.

How to make a great Peanut Butter Mousse Pie filling

  • When making a mousse, first, you’ve got to decide what to use for the base. The base should be thick and highly flavored. The base needs to have a strong flavor because you will be folding in whipped cream and/or whipped eggs whites. The whipped ingredients will lighten the texture, but will also dilute the flavor.
  • For the peanut butter mousse I guess I could have started with straight peanut butter. But I wanted a rich and silky base. I enhanced the peanut butter with whipped egg yolks, sugar and vanilla.
  • When I’m making mousse I always fold-in whipped cream because it’s both rich & light. If I’m going for an even airier (is that even a word??) mousse I will also fold in whipped egg whites. Because the peanut butter base was already lightened with the whipped yolks, whipped cream was all I needed to make a great pie filling.
  • Once you’ve made the mousse you’ve got to figure out how to stabilize it. You can whip-up a beautiful, airy mousse, but you’ve got to stabilize it so it doesn’t deflate or ooze on the plate when you serve it.
  • When you make Chocolate Mousse, the chocolate will set the mousse as it solidifies. If you make a frozen mousse like my Key Lime Frozen Souffe, the freezer does the work for you.
  • If I’m not freezing the mousse, or using chocolate, I employ just a little gelatin powder as a stabilizer. With a minimal amount of gelatin, the peanut butter mousse holds it’s shape when the pie is sliced, but is still soft and creamy.
  • You do need to be judicious when using gelatin. The last thing we want is rubbery mousse.

A slice of peanut butter mousse pie on a plate

You’ve got several extra flavor options to choose from:

  • I spread a layer of hot pepper jelly under the peanut butter mousse because I just adore the flavor combination. But this is a very adaptable recipe.
  • Not a fan of the hot stuff? Use your favorite grape or strawberry jelly for a more traditional PB&J flavor combination.
  • Are Reese’s Peanut Butter cups more to your taste? Instead of jelly use melted chocolate or Dark Chocolate Ganache under the mousse.
  • If you’re a purist, skip the jelly and chocolate and go for the full peanut butter flavor without any other distractions.

A slice of peanut butter mousse pie with hot pepper jelly on a plate

Helpful Hints for making Peanut Butter Mousse Pie:

  • It’s not absolutely necessary to bake the crust, but I like the toasted flavor and crunchy texture from a few minutes in the oven.
    Baking also melts the sugar so the crust holds together better.
  • The crust may puff up a bit in the oven. While it’s still warm, tamp it back into place and close any gaps that open up.
  • Ribbon the yolks to create a light base for the mousse. (Watch the recipe video to see how to “ribbon” the yolks.)
  • “Liason” the gelatin. Whisk a little of the mousse into the warm gelatin. This brings the gelatin closer to the temperature and texture of the base. Then whisk the gelatin mixture back into the base.
  • Allow the mousse to chill several hours or overnight to set the gelatin before finishing and serving the pie.
  • To work ahead, fill the crust with the mousse up to two days ahead. Once the mousse is set cover the pie with a sheet of plastic wrap to keep the surface from drying out. Add the whipped cream and nut topping the day you’re serving the pie.
  • When serving the pie, wipe the knife with a wet cloth between cuts for a clean slice.
  • If the crust is sticking to the pan, run the tip of a small spatula or knife between the crust and the pan to separate them.

A slice of peanut butter mousse pie with cream and honey roasted peanuts on top

Watch the recipe video to see how to make Peanut Butter Mousse Pie.

Now that you’ve made this recipe what should you do with all the extra egg whites? Check out this collection of recipes that use extra whites for some great ideas.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider leaving a 5-star review.

A slice of peanut butter mousse pie
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4.78 from 22 reviews

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie is made with a crunchy graham cracker-peanut crust filled with light and luscious peanut butter mousse. You can add optional jelly or chocolate for another layer of flavor. Use hot-pepper jelly for a sweet-heat treat.
Prep Time45 minutes
Bake Time10 minutes
Chilling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 55 minutes
10 servings
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Ingredients

Graham Cracker/Peanut Crust

  • 2 ½ oz honey roasted peanuts (½ cup)
  • 5 oz graham cracker crumbs (1 ¼ cup)
  • 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
  • 3 oz butter (melted)
  • 1 cup any flavor jelly (or 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (see note))

Peanut Butter Mousse

  • 2 oz cool water (¼ cup)
  • 2 teaspoons gelatin powder
  • 16 oz heavy cream (2 cups)
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
  • ½ vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 14 oz creamy peanut butter (1 ½ cups)

Assembly

  • 12 oz heavy cream (1 ½ cups)
  • 1 oz confectioner’s sugar (¼ cup)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ oz honey-roasted peanuts (¼ cup coarsely chopped)

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
  • Place 2 ½ oz honey roasted peanuts in a food processor and pulse until they're ground to a chunky powder. Add 5 oz graham cracker crumbs and 2 oz granulated sugar and pulse until combined. Sprinkle 3 oz butter (melted) over the crumbs and pulse to combine. Pour the crumbs into a 9" pie plate. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  • Take the pan out of the oven and press down any puffy spots and press to close any gaps in the crust. If using chocolate, sprinkle the chopped chocolate onto the warm crust and let it melt. Spread the chocolate. Cool to room temperature. If using the jelly instead of chocolate, spread it onto the cooled crust. Chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the pie.

Make the Mousse

  • Place 2 oz cool water into a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons gelatin powder over the water, whisk briefly to combine and set aside to bloom.
  • Whip 16 oz heavy cream to soft peak and set in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Combine 5 large egg yolks and 4 oz granulated sugar in a mixer bowl. Add the seeds from ½ vanilla bean.
  • Set the bowl with the yolks over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch. Move the bowl to the mixer (or use a hand mixer) and whisk until the yolks are completely cooled and have lightened in color and texture.
  • Whisk ⅓ of 14 oz creamy peanut butter into the yolk mixture until smooth. Add the remaining peanut butter in two batches. Whisk ½ the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Whisk in the remaining cream until it's about ½ way incorporated.
  • Heat the bloomed gelatin in the microwave in 10 second increments until it’s hot to the touch (just 20 seconds in my microwave). Working quickly, add a cup of the mousse to the warmed gelatin
  • Whisk immediately until completely combined. Pour the gelatin mixture back into the mousse. Immediately whisk until the mousse is smooth and the gelatin is evenly incorporated.

Assembly

  • Pour the peanut butter mousse into the chilled crust. Spread to an even layer. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours to set the mousse.
  • Whip 12 oz heavy cream to full peak with 1 oz confectioner’s sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Pipe or spread the cream onto the filling, sprinkle 1 ¼ oz honey-roasted peanuts (chopped) over the cream.
  • Serve chilled.

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Video

Notes

If you want another layer of flavor you can add a layer of jelly or you can coat the crust with a layer of chocolate. You can use grape jelly for a traditional pb&j flavor, or use hot pepper jelly for a zesty flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 861kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 1509IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!

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4 Comments

    1. Do you mean the assembled pie? The mousse should go into the pie crust as soon as it’s mixed so it can set in the shell. The mousse will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator either before or after the cream is added. The cream might start to weep out some liquid after a day or so.

      1. Thanks! I made the mousse for a cake filling and had some leftover. I folded whipped egg whites in the mousse to make it lighter and it turned out great! It’s so delicious and the perfect filling for my chocolate cake!

        1. Yes, the mousse would be amazing in chocolate cake. As far as left overs, I would say 2-3 days in the fridge or you can freeze it for longer term. I have frozen Lemon Mousse lots of times.