Hazelnut Mocha Pie
This Chocolate Hazelnut Mocha Pie has the perfect depth of flavor between the chocolate, espresso and hazelnut. Starting with an Oreo espresso cookie crust, espresso ganache, a layer of hazelnut cookie crunch, Nutella mousse, chocolate whipped cream and lastly regular whipped cream. Witness a beautiful coffee colored gradient as you cut through the pie. The amount of layers might seem intimidating, but believe me it’s worth it.
This recipe is an updated version of my Hazelnut Cappuccino Pie, which won a first place award at the 2019 National Pie Championships. Of all the pie recipes I’ve created and competed with in the last 10+ years, this pie ties with my Peanut Butter S’more Pie for my absolute favorites. Both first place pies!
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Oreos – For the pie crust you will be crushing Oreos to fine crumbs. Stick to the regular Oreos, not double stuffed. If you want a shortcut you can also start with a pre-made Oreo pie crust – though it won’t have the extra espresso flavor as called for in the recipe.
- Espresso Powder – This recipe calls for espresso powder in almost all the layers of the pie. It’s a subtle flavor that pairs really well with chocolate but you can omit if you prefer. My favorite espresso powders are from King Arthur and Medaglia D’Oro
- Salted butter – I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted butter because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes.
- Chocolate chips – The majority of the time I bake I use chocolate chips, just out of convenience and cost efficiently. Ganache however is something I usually splurge for better chocolate on such as baking bars, baking disks or just higher quality chocolate chips. Guittard makes great chips, wafers and baking bars.
- Chocolate Graham Crackers – I prefer chocolate graham crackers in the hazelnut crunch layer, however if you can’t find chocolate graham crackers you can substitute chocolate Teddy Grahams or even plain graham crackers.
- Cream cheese – You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature before starting so it blends easily. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you start. You can also microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften.
- Nutella – Nutella gives the pie filling a delicious chocolate hazelnut flavor.
Oreo Crust
My Hazelnut Mocha Pie starts with an espresso Oreo crust. The recipe calls for baking the Oreo cookie crust, however you can do a no-bake crust and just refrigerate to set before filling. I prefer to bake the crust as it helps to keep the crumbs out of your filling and also makes for a pie that’s really easy to slice. When shaping my cookie crust I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to lightly press the crumbs onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
Espresso Ganache
To make the espresso ganache heat the heavy cream and espresso powder in a small saucepan over medium heat until it starts simmering. Put the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl and pour the cream over top. Allow to sit for a minute to melt and then whisk until smooth. Pour into the pie shell and refrigerate until set.
Hazelnut Crunch
As I was developing this chocolate hazelnut pie recipe, the first iteration consisted of a chocolate graham cracker crust with chopped hazelnuts. While I ended up preferring the espresso Oreo crust more, I loved this hazelnut layer and knew I had to incorporate it somewhere into the pie. The crunchy texture helps to break up all the creaminess.
To make the hazelnut crunch, toast the raw hazelnuts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. After letting the hot hazelnuts cool for a few minutes I remove some of the loose skins and place the hazelnuts into a food processor. Pulse until coarsely ground. You can also chop the nuts into small pieces if you don’t have a food processor. In a medium bowl, stir together the ground hazelnuts, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Lightly press mixture onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reserve 1/2 of the mixture for decorating the pie and crumble the rest over the ganache layer.
Nutella Mousse
I use the same base for most of my mousse pies, consisting of cream cheese and whipped cream. The cream cheese helps to stabilize the whipped cream and cuts the sweetness just enough for the perfect cream pie. If you have the time, I prefer to make this pie the day before you want to serve it. The texture of the mousse will be even better after it sits in the fridge overnight.
In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder and vanilla extract. Add the Nutella and beat until fully incorporated. In another bowl beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate cream. This will take a few minutes to come together. You want to mix until there are no streaks of whipped cream left, but gently enough that the whipped cream doesn’t lose its volume. Spread the mousse over the hazelnut crunch layer. Refrigerate while making the next layer.
Whipped Cream
To make the whipped topping, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside 1/3 of the whipped cream. Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder and remaining sugar to the remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream. Mix just until combined. Spread the chocolate espresso whipped cream over the mousse and then the white whipped cream on top.
Decorating your Hazelnut Mocha Pie
My favorite way to decorate this pie is first to lay a layer of lace over the whipped cream layer. When I competed with this pie I bought a piece of inexpensive lace from Michaels which worked great. When I photographed the pie this time I used a piece of vintage lace my mom gave me. After laying it on top of the pie, sift a spoonful of cocoa powder over the lace. Now it’s easier if you can get someone to help you, each of you hold two corners of the lace and lift straight up to reveal the pattern. If you don’t have lace, you can easily just sift a little bit of cocoa powder over the whipped cream or print a shape on a piece of paper to create a pattern.
Then using your hand gently press the remaining hazelnut crunch mixture around the side of the pie.
Looking for more pies to try? Try my Nutella Pie and Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
Hazelnut Pie
Ingredients
- 26 Oreo Cookies, crushed to fine crumbs
- 2 tbsp espresso powder
- 5 tbsp salted butter, melted
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tbsp espresso powder
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 8 chocolate graham crackers (8 full sheets), crushed to fine crumbs
- 5 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp sugar, divided
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, plus more for decoration
- ½ tsp espresso powder
Instructions
- To make the crust combine the cookie crumbs, espresso powder and melted butter. Press into a lightly greased deep-dish pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely before filling.
- To make the espresso ganache heat the heavy cream and espresso powder over medium-low heat until it starts simmering. Put the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl and pour cream over top. Allow to sit for a minute to melt and then whisk until smooth. Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate until set.
- To make the hazelnut crunch, toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool and then chop or pulse in a food processor until coarsely ground. Stir together the ground hazelnuts, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Lightly press mixture onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reserve 1/2 of the mixture for decorating the pie and crumble the rest over the ganache layer.
- To make the chocolate hazelnut mousse beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, espresso powder and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Add the Nutella and beat until fully incorporated. In another bowl beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until no traces of the white cream remain. Spread mousse over the hazelnut crunch layer. Refrigerate while making the next layer.
- To make the whipped topping, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside 1/3 of the whipped cream. Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder and remaining sugar to the remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream. Mix just until combined. Spread the chocolate espresso whipped cream over the mousse and then the white whipped cream on top.
- Garnish the pie with the reserved hazelnut crunch and dust with cocoa powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To create a pattern on top of the cake, lay a piece of lace on top of the whipped cream and sift cocoa powder over top. Gently lift the lace straight up to reveal the design.
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