Soft and chewy chocolate cookies topped with a creamy chocolate cheesecake mousse and finished with a silky smooth drizzle of chocolate ganache!
I’m sure most of you have heard of the infamous Crumbl Cookies. Their stores have been popping up all over the US, and I don’t see them slowing down any time soon. People seem to go wild over their cookies, and I must admit that I’m always impressed with their ever-changing rotation of cookies released every single week.
Like other fellow food bloggers, I’ve tried my hand at creating some copycats of Crumbl favorites. I’ve made their Hostess Cupcake Cookies, Pecan Pie Cookies, Key Lime Pie Cookies, and their Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies, just to name a few.
This week, I decided to give their French Silk Pie Cookies a try. I must admit that my cookies aren’t exactly a direct copycat of Crumbl’s, but that’s because mine are better.
MUCH better…
Why You MUST Make These Cookies
Triple the Chocolate Goodness: With a thick and doughy chocolate cookie base, supremely creamy chocolate cheesecake mousse, and satiny chocolate ganache, this cookie is a chocolate lover’s dream!
Less Expensive than Crumbl: As opposed to spending $4-$5 on ONE cookie, you can make up 16 delicious cookies at home for a fraction of the price. And if you don’t have a specific occasion to share these cookies at, don’t worry. They freeze really well!
Easy and Fun to Make: While there are a few components involved in making these cookies, everything comes together rather quickly. Plus there’s absolutely no dough-chilling involved, which means no wait time. And honestly, what’s more fun than making little individual chocolate “pies”?
Tips for the Making the Best Cookies
Use Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder over natural cocoa powder because of its richer hue and more intense chocolate flavor. It used to be tough to find in the grocery store, but thanks to Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, you can find it almost anywhere you shop nowadays. Mind you, if all you have is natural cocoa powder, that’ll work just fine in these cookies.
Add a Little Instant Espresso Powder: As with most of my recipes that involve chocolate, I like to add a little instant espresso powder to intensify the flavor of the chocolate. Only a 1/2 teaspoon is added to the dough, and you won’t taste it at all. What you get is a deep, richer, more sinful chocolate experience that’s simply irresistible.
Add Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix: My favorite ingredient for achieving THICK, extra soft, and chewy cookies is instant pudding mix. Not only does it produce soft and doughy results, but it also adds extra cocoa sweetness as well. Since pudding mix contains cornstarch (a thickening agent), the cookies bake up EXTRA thick, so you don’t have to chill the dough beforehand. Once the dough is mixed, it’s ready to bake! Oh, and make sure it’s the INSTANT variety, NOT Cook n’ Serve.
Flatten the Cookie Dough: This dough doesn’t spread as much as it’s baking in the oven, so it’s important to flatten the dough before it bakes. Simply roll the dough into balls, flatten them into thick discs (about 3/4″ thickness), and place them about an inch apart on the baking sheet. My cookies each contained about 3 Tablespoons of dough.
Don’t Over-Bake: Over-baking is a common culprit in hard or tough cookies. The key is to take the cookies out before they’re done baking since the residual heat will continue baking the cookie once it’s out of the oven.
Use a Glass for the Indent: To create the indent for the filling, I used a glass with a base that was a little smaller than the cookie. Once the cookies are out of the oven, let them cool for 2-3 minutes (no longer than 5 minutes), then press the bottom of the glass into the center of each cookie. You can also use the bottom of a measuring cup to create the indentation.
Do these cookies have to be refrigerated?
Yes, it’s important to store these cookies in the refrigerator due to the chocolate filling, which contains both cream cheese and heavy cream. Although these cookies are perfectly tasty straight from the refrigerator, I would recommend allowing them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes for the best flavor and texture experience.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes! In fact, these cookies freeze incredibly well. Once the ganache has set up, just wrap each cookie individually and place them into the freezer. For extra protection, you can place the wrapped cookies into a freezer-safe ziplock bag or an air-tight container. When you want to serve them, or when you just feel like something sweet, take the cookies out of the freezer and allow them to sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes. The cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Grainy or greasy ganache? Here’s an easy fix!
Even though I’ve made my fair share of ganache over the years, I’ve still dealt with grainy or greasy ganache at times. Usually it’s due to overheated heavy cream. If this happens to you, do NOT throw it away because it’s still totally salvageable.
Simply pour the grainy/split ganache into a food processor and blend on high for about 20-30 seconds. The action of the blade breaks down separated fat particles and re-emulsifies the mixture, turning it into a silky, smooth texture immediately. If needed, add a tablespoon of warm (NOT hot) heavy cream to the ganache and continue blending until it comes together.
French Silk Pie Cookies
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (3.56 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix (dry)
Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse:
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, divided
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the instant espresso powder and hot water until completely dissolved; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add in both sugars and mix on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined. Add in the vanilla and espresso mixture. Then stir in the pudding mix.
- With mixer set on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture into the wet mixture until everything has been incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into balls, and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball to about 3/4 inch in thickness (see photo above). Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes (no longer than 5 minutes) before pressing the bottom of a glass or measuring cup into the center of each cookie, creating an indentation for the filling. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Make the Mousse:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Switch the whisk attachment out for the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese on high until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Heat in the microwave, stopping and stirring every 15 seconds, until mixture is smooth. Pour melted chocolate mixture into cream cheese and beat until combined. Add a third of the whipped cream to the bowl, beating until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the remaining whipped cream by hand with a spatula.
Make the Ganache:
- Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To Assemble:
- Divide mousse evenly among each cookie, then use a butterknife or offset spatula to spread evenly. Drizzle each cookie with chocolate ganache. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
French Silk Pie Cookies
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (3.56 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix (dry)
Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse:
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, divided
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the instant espresso powder and hot water until completely dissolved; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add in both sugars and mix on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined. Add in the vanilla and espresso mixture. Then stir in the pudding mix.
- With mixer set on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture into the wet mixture until everything has been incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into balls, and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball to about 3/4 inch in thickness (see photo above). Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes (no longer than 5 minutes) before pressing the bottom of a glass or measuring cup into the center of each cookie, creating an indentation for the filling. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Make the Mousse:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Switch the whisk attachment out for the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese on high until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Heat in the microwave, stopping and stirring every 15 seconds, until mixture is smooth. Pour melted chocolate mixture into cream cheese and beat until combined. Add a third of the whipped cream to the bowl, beating until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the remaining whipped cream by hand with a spatula.
Make the Ganache:
- Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To Assemble:
- Divide mousse evenly among each cookie, then use a butterknife or offset spatula to spread evenly. Drizzle each cookie with chocolate ganache. Serve and enjoy!