I made this Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Tart last night and have already had so many requests for the recipe, so I’m fast-tracking this post! This tart has a chocolate graham crust, a layer of feather-light and minty white chocolate-peppermint mouse, and a velvet-y dark chocolate glaze on top. My husband, who is a notoriously tough customer, said it was “incredible”.
I know it looks fancy and unattainable (and also like a giant peppermint patty), but this tart comes together easily and is pretty foolproof. You make the crust and filling the day before. No need to worry about sogginess, the gelatin in the mousse helps resist moisture migration. You chill the filled tart overnight and then on the day you want to serve it, make and pour the glaze. Voila! You can see in the photo below that my glaze on top wasn’t perfectly smooth (I got distracted and let it sit too long before pouring). But I heard zero complaints and so will you.
The only tricky bit with this dark chocolate peppermint tart is the mousse. Make sure to follow the directions exactly, especially when it comes to temperatures. And fold the whipped cream in carefully. Otherwise, this is a cinch. If you don’t have a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom, you can buy one here
If you can’t find chocolate graham crackers, don’t substitute with chocolate cookies that have a different fat/sugar content. Instead use an Oreo crust recipe like this one.
For decorating I used some clear sparkling sugar, white nonpareils, crushed candy canes and rosemary sprigs. But this tart will look pretty so many ways. I suggest doing what I did and putting your decoration on top of the spot you accidentally dropped a fork. Happy Holidays!
More Holiday Baking Magic From Bakers Brigade:
- Chewy Chocolate Espresso Cookies
- Eggnog Snickerdoodles
- Gingerbread Birdhouse Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Tart with Espresso Whipped Cream
- Cranberry Curd Tart With White Chocolate Mousse
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servings
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- 1 cup chocolate graham crackers, finely ground I used about ten 5" x 2 1/4" graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 4 ounces white chocolate chips
- 2 1/2 tablespoons milk, half and half or cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3-4 drops pure peppermint oil If you use extract, you may need to add more, depending on it's strength
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate I used a good quality, 70% cocoa chocolate
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons very warm water
Ingredients
For Chocolate Crust:
For Peppermint Mousse:
For Dark Chocolate Glaze:
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar then press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9.5"w x 1"h tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes then cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Then microwave for 15-30 seconds until just dissolved. Do not boil!
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth and melted. Heat the milk in the microwave until just steaming, about 30 seconds. Add milk to white chocolate, whisking vigorously until smooth. Add gelatin and peppermint oil and whisk again until smooth. Let mixture cool to 85 degrees or less but do not let it resolidify.
- Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Then add the rest of the whipped cream and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
- Spoon into cooled tart shell, smooth the top with an offset spatula and allow to set in the fridge for a few hours or covered overnight.
- Once the mousse-filled tart is thoroughly chilled, start the glaze. Get all ingredients measured out and ready.
- Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Immediately stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water, making sure that you've combined everything completely.
- Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate your tart so glaze coats the top evenly and completely. You shouldn't be able to see any white. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.
- This tart is best the day it is finished but should keep for 3-4 days covered in the fridge. Allow tart to sit on the counter for a few minutes before uncovering it to prevent condensation on the glaze.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m baking this for dinner party this weekend. One of the hosts cannot eat gluten and I couldn’t find GF graham crackers so I’m baking some tonight. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Oooo, please do! And send pictures 🙂
Sadly the GF crust was a bust. After it failed (melted into a pool in the bottom of the pan) I Googled it and it looks like there isn’t a great method for making a GF graham cracker crust. I started over with Trader Joe’s Chocolate Cat Cookies (which I had on hand for SK’s Fudgy Bourbon Balls) and so far all looks good. The mousse tastes amazing!!!
This was delicious, but the butter in the crust leaked in the oven, which caused smoke and this a smoky crust (not great). Any tips for preventing this?
Hmmmm, not sure! Did you use chocolate graham crackers?
If you aren’t able to find chocolate graham crackers, try this crust recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019473-chocolate-cream-pie-with-oreo-crust
This looks delicious! What brand of peppermint oil do you use?
I use Lorann Oils, which is very potent. If you use peppermint extract from the grocery store, you’ll probably need about a teaspoon.
I have looked high and low…I don’t know that chocolate graham crackers are even made anymore (can’t even find them on Amazon). Your link to the NY Times article requires a subscription to view. Will any oreo cookie crust recipe work? I I’m planning to make this for Christmas and am so excited!
Oh bummer! Yes, any Oreo crust should work well 🙂
Thank you so much! I will let you know how it turns out.
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors for the holiday!