Cherry Almond Mousse Pie

One of my favorite aspects of our cherry almond mousse pie is that I can never decide which season it suits best. Does its almost no-bake, best-served-cold nature make it ideal for summer? Or is it more of a holiday pie, with its decadent mousse filling and chocolate, cherry and almond flavors? Simply put: There’s no need to choose. This pie is just as welcome at a Fourth of July cookout as it is on a Christmas holiday table.

Fair warning, this pie is so good that it might become an annual request. (At least, that’s what reviewers say!)

Ingredients for Cherry Almond Mousse Pie

• Sweetened condensed milk: Double-check that you’re buying sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk, at the grocery store. These are not the same ingredients, but they are often confused with one another.
• Chocolate: For the chocolate sauce layer, you’ll need 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate. Any extra chocolate can be used for the pie’s garnish.
• Almond extract: Good-quality almond extract makes all the difference here. It should be nutty and sweet, but not overpoweringly so.
• Pie shell: Buy the best premade pie crust from the store or make a single pie crust from scratch. We need only one pie crust for this recipe.
• Maraschino cherries: Maraschino cherries are pitted and soaked in a delicious syrup so they’re super easy to work with and taste delicious. I always recommend buying the best maraschino cherries from the store: Luxardo cherries.
• Cream cheese: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature so it whips up easily and there are no cream cheese lumps in the mousse.
• Vanilla pudding mix: Vanilla pudding mix brings a lot of body and flavor to the mousse. Since pudding mixes have cornstarch, it helps set up the mousse filling without the need for tricky gelatin.
• Heavy whipping cream: Measure 1 cup heavy whipping cream, then beat it until it reaches stiff peaks.
• Almonds: Purchase chopped almonds from the store, then lightly toast the nuts to enhance their natural sweetness and remove their raw edge.

Directions

Step 1: Make the chocolate sauce

In a small saucepan over low heat, cook and stir 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and the unsweetened chocolate until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is thickened, about four minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

Pour the chocolate sauce into the pie shell and set the pie aside.

Step 2: Prep the cherries

Set aside eight whole cherries with perky stems for the pie’s garnish. Chop all the remaining cherries from the jar, and set everything aside.

Step 3: Make the mousse

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese until it’s fluffy and lump-free. Gradually beat in the water and the remaining sweetened condensed milk. Finally, beat in the vanilla pudding mix and the remaining almond extract.

Fold in the whipped cream, then stir in the chopped cherries and toasted almonds.

Pour the filling over the pie.

Step 4: Chill, garnish and serve

Chill the pie until the mousse is set, about four hours. Once you’re ready to serve, garnish the pie with reserved whole cherries and, if desired, chopped chocolate.

Editor’s Tip: To cut clean slices of pie, run a chef’s knife under warm water, then carefully wipe it dry. Make the first slice, then repeat these steps until you’re done serving.

Recipe Variations

• Try a crumb crust: If you love texture in your desserts, consider replacing the pie crust with a graham cracker crust or Oreo pie crust instead. Or, try other unique crumb crust ingredients like pretzels, nuts (almonds would be best!) or Nilla wafers.
• Use a different pudding mix flavor: Feel free to play around with the type of pudding mix for more flavor opportunities. Cheesecake or French vanilla would be outstanding here. Or, use cherry to boost the namesake flavor.

How to Store Cherry Almond Mousse Pie

Store cherry almond mousse pie in the fridge for up to three days. Make sure it’s covered or the mousse can absorb lingering fridge smells. Be mindful, though, that as the days go on, the crust will become slightly soggy.

Can you make cherry almond mousse pie ahead of time?

Yes, you can absolutely make cherry almond mousse pie ahead of time. Fully assemble the pie the night before or the morning of serving, then cover it and place it in the fridge until serving. Avoid making it more than a day in advance or the crust will become soggy.

Cherry Almond Mousse Pie Tips

How do you blind bake the pie crust?

Before filling the pie crust with the mousse, you need to fully bake the crust and let it cool—a technique called blind baking. To blind bake a pie crust, tear off a piece of parchment that’s slightly bigger than the pie dough fitted in the pie pan. Crumple up the parchment, then unfold it and carefully mold it inside the pie crust. Add pie weights, rice or dried beans all the way to the top, then blind bake the pie crust in a 400°F oven until the edges are lightly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, then return the crust to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until it has a deep, even browning. Let the pie crust cool completely to room temperature, then fill it with the mousse.

Can you use fresh or frozen cherries instead of maraschino cherries?

You can use fresh cherries for this cherry almond mousse pie, but avoid frozen cherries. Frozen cherries expel a lot of water when they thaw, which will break the mousse and turn it into a gritty, weeping mess. Make sure the fresh cherries are washed, fully dried and pitted before use. The best types of cherries for this pie are dark, sweet cherries.

How do you serve cherry almond mousse pie?

Serve cherry almond mousse pie cold from the fridge. It’s perfect as-is—garnishes and all—but it would taste even better with a little drizzle of chocolate syrup or hot fudge.