Bourbon biscuits provide a really good foundation when crushed and layered in a dessert. One of the great parts of preparing a chocolate mud pie is its adaptability to suit the dish at your disposal: you can make it in a round pie dish or large deep bowl; I even tried this in a rectangular pie dish and it worked well. I particularly like this dessert for gatherings, where it can be casually placed on the table and generously served with a large spoon. It requires minimal effort but delivers maximum flavour. Don’t hesitate to generously season with salt – it works!
Chocolate mud pie
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Chill 2 hr+
Serves 10
250g bourbon biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
180g dark chocolate, broken into bits
A pinch of flaky sea salt
200ml whole milk
180ml double cream
50g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
To serve
400ml double cream, gently whipped with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp icing sugar
Grated dark chocolate
Blitz the bourbon biscuits until they resemble breadcrumbs. Mix with the melted butter until well combined, then press into the base and up the sides of a pie dish (I used a 10-inch/25cm dish). Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
Put the chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, heat the milk, cream and sugar until steaming. Whisk the egg yolks to loosen, then pour the warmed cream mixture over the yolks and whisk well. Pour this back into the pan and use a whisk or spatula to stir frequently over a medium-low heat, until it reaches coating consistency.
Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate and salt, whisking to melt the chocolate. Pour this over the biscuit base and chill for around four hours, or until completely cool and set. Spoon over the whipped cream, grate over some chocolate if you like, and serve.
