Chocolate Mousse Pie

Yield: one eight-inch pie
Baking Temperature: 350℉ (optional)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 20 Oreos (you can use any flavor, or gluten free)
• 2-4 tbsp. melted butter

For the chocolate mousse:

• 8 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
• 5 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. dark cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. sugar, split
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 c. + 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. powdered sugar

For the top:

• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• finely chopped chocolate for sprinkling

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. I used a tart pan that had a removable base. This recipe would also work in a spring form pan or a regular pie dish.
2. Pulse the Oreos in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add 2-4 tablespoons of melted butter. Your crust mixture should be able to hold its shape when pressed into a pan, but it shouldn't be wet or too sticky. I used chocolate filled Oreos for this recipe, so my crust didn't seem to need as much butter. I set the crust by baking it in the oven. If you prefer to chill your crust you can do that instead. If you are using an oven, bake the crust for five minutes and then chill it in the fridge.
3. In a large glass bowl, mix together the chopped chocolate, water, cocoa powders, and vanilla. Set the bowl on top of a medium sized pot with a couple inches of water in the bottom. The water should not touch the base of the bowl. Turn on the heat and gently stir together the mixture as it melts together. You can also do this in a double boiler if you have one.
4. Once everything is melted together, take the bowl off the pot and set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, beat together the egg yolks and 1 tbsp. of sugar until the yolks turn pale yellow. Pour the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Allow to cool completely (the mixture should be at room temperature before you move on to the next step.)
6. Using the same bowl that held the egg yolks, whip the egg whites with 1 tbsp. of sugar until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and set aside.
7. Using the same medium sized mixing bowl again, whip the 1 c. + 2 tbsp. heavy cream, salt, and powdered sugar together until peaks form. Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture.
8. Spoon the chocolate mousse into the Oreo crust. I had too much mousse for my crust to hold, so I spooned most of it into the crust and let it set up, then spooned additional filling on top of the already set mousse. 
9. To finish the pie, whip together the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the chocolate mousse and top with chopped chocolate. Chill completely until you are ready to serve the pie.