Creamy Chocolate-Mint Pie

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Veronica

I know, I know. I’m supposed to be on vacation. What am I doing blogging, right? Thanks to the miracle of scheduled posting, I wrote this blog last week and scheduled it to publish today. I’m so tech-savvy! (And I’m a big liar because I can barely even text, but I’m glad I at least have this one thing figured out. It helps me a lot!)

So last month our friend, Joe, came over with a tractor to help us level out our back yard so the water wouldn’t collect in the middle and run up against our house and under the back door, flooding the basement. Yay for no more basement flooding!!!

Like my husband, Joe loves mint desserts, and as part of my thanks for his help, I made him a creamy chocolate-mint pie. Actually, I made two, because my husband deserved a “thank you” too. :) Also, you deserved the recipe, and how could I share it without cutting up a pie to show you the inside? And how could I do that to Joe’s pie? I could not. So I made Dennis a pie and butchered his pie up for you. And for me, because I ate this piece.

This pie is creamy, fudgy, smooth, and minty. I don’t know why, but mint desserts just aren’t my number one choice, and I’d probably never make them if it weren’t for Dennis and Joe (Joe is also responsible for these peppermint patties I posted a while back), but I thoroughly enjoyed my half of this pie. Yes, my husband let me have half the pie! I will not overshare how fast I ate that half, however. That would be my version of TMI. Hey, a girl has to have some secrets.

Creamy Chocolate-Mint Pie

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 1/4 cups milk
1 package (4-serving size) chocolate pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food color
2 cups frozen (thawed) whipped topping, divided
1 Oreo cookie crust
2-4 thin rectangular chocolate and green mints, unwrapped

In 2-quart saucepan, stir together milk and pudding mix; cook as directed on package. Continue cooking over low heat while adding chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peppermint extract and green food color until smooth. Gently fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture in the Oreo crust, then top with chocolate mixture, spreading it smooth. Spread remaining 1 cup whipped topping over the top, then either chop mints or use a vegetable peeler to shave off curls, and sprinkle over whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Recipe source: tweaked from Pillsbury.com

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Posted in Pie and tagged cream, creamy, easy, mint chocolate, Pie, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Peppermint Pops

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Veronica

I have several pops posts, and am ready to change things up a bit with a completely new type of pop filling that doesn’t involve cake at all. As I mentioned in my cream cheese mints post, I got bored just cutting the dough into squares, and decided to combine it with chocolate in pop form.

This photo was taken by Jen in the break room at work after I handed her a bag of Peppermint Pops in exchange for some delicious chocolate sheet cake that she made. I had to use it because it’s a much more attractive photo of the insides than the atrocity below. Thanks, Jen!

The method for these is the same as making cake pops, just with a different filling. Take a batch of cream cheese mints, roll it into balls, insert sticks, dip in chocolate. And voila, peppermint pops! It’s simple and even easier than cake pops because it doesn’t require any baking. And the taste? Well, if you like mint chocolate, you’re going to love these. The mint center is soft and creamy and the dark chocolate coating is classic. Think York peppermint patties with a softer, creamier center and slight tang. Bonus: it’s on a stick! Wheeeeeeeee!

Peppermint Pops

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
2 (12 oz) bags semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons oil or shortening
50 lollipop sticks
50 (3″x4″) clear treat bags (optional)
curling ribbon (optional)

Beat the cream cheese until creamy, then beat in the extract. Beat in the powdered sugar until well blended. Depending on your mixer, you may have to use your hands to fully incorporate the sugar. The mixture will be smooth and like a stiff dough. Pinch off pieces of the mixture and roll into 1″ balls; place on rimmed baking sheet. You will get 40-50 balls. Cover and refrigerate two hours or overnight.

I had several mint projects going at once-classic party mints (left), peppermint pops, and peppermint patties (not pictured).

Gently melt chocolate with oil in double boiler or microwave. Dip ends of sticks in chocolate, then insert into the flat end (the end that has been resting on the baking sheet) of the mint balls. As you insert sticks, place the pops upside down on the baking sheet until all the balls have sticks. Refrigerate until chocolate around stick is set.

Now you can see evidence of the peppermint patties! The square mints are long gone…in mah bellah.

Dip each pop in chocolate and gently shake off excess while holding upside down. Don’t tap, as you would a cake pop, because the mint balls are more prone to fall off the sticks. Insert pops right-side-up into a large foam block. Once all pops are dipped, place foam block in refrigerator and let sit until chocolate is hardened, about half an hour. If you would like to package them, slip a treat bag over each pop, and tie curling ribbon around the base.

After writing this, I just can’t resist saying, “on a steeeeek.” :)