Nutty Mississippi Mud Pie

Nutty Mississippi mud pie is the cousin of the classic mud cake that turned Mississippi suppers into events. The base layer is toasted pecans and walnuts scattered across a baked shell, which adds crunch and a buttery edge that keeps the rich filling from feeling one-note.

Over that goes a tangy cream cheese and sour cream layer beaten with powdered sugar and vanilla. The acid from the dairy is what cuts the sweetness and stops this pie from turning cloying.

The topping is a real cooked chocolate pudding made from scratch with cocoa, egg yolks, and a splash of almond extract that lifts the chocolate flavor a notch.

Chef Tips

• Toast the nuts in a dry pan until you smell them. Raw nuts taste flat against this much sugar and will go soft once the pudding sits on top.
• Whisk the cocoa pudding base hard and constantly once it hits the heat. Cocoa clumps on contact with hot milk, and lumps will not smooth out later.
• Temper the egg yolks with a ladle of hot milk before pouring them into the pan. Skipping this step gives you sweet scrambled eggs.
• Cool the pudding at room temperature with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. That stops a rubbery skin from forming before you spoon it over the cream cheese layer.
• Chill at least 4 hours before slicing. The cream cheese needs that time to firm up enough to hold clean wedges.

Variations

• Stir 1 tablespoon of bourbon or coffee liqueur into the cream cheese layer for a grown-up edge.
• Top finished pies with whipped cream and a shower of shaved chocolate before serving.
• Swap the prepared pie shells for a chocolate cookie crumb crust for an even deeper cocoa flavor.