Malted Chocolate Pie

This malted chocolate pie has all the nostalgic flavor of an old-fashioned chocolate malt milkshake! A crunchy Oreo cookie crust holds a light and creamy malted chocolate mousse, with a layer of crushed malted milk balls in the middle. Pile high with malted whipped cream, and finish with a sprinkle of crushed malted milk balls.

We all agreed this malted chocolate pie tastes like an old-fashioned chocolate malt in pie form!

This mostly no-bake dessert has a few layers, but each one is simple to make. You’ll start with a quick-bake 2-ingredient Oreo crust, then prepare a malted chocolate ganache and fold in freshly whipped cream to create a light, mousse-like filling. Crushed malted milk balls add a crispy layer of texture in the middle, and the whole pie is finished with fluffy whipped cream. There’s some chilling time involved, so it’s a great dessert to make ahead.

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Why You’ll Love This Malted Chocolate Pie

• Familiar flavor of an old-fashioned chocolate malt milkshake
• Nearly no-bake (just 10 minutes for the crust)
• Light, creamy, mousse-like filling (but easier to make)
• So many textures in every bite
• Perfect make-ahead dessert, since it needs to chill
• Another egg-free dessert recipe

Grab These 9 Ingredients:

• Oreos: The classic ones, not Double Stuf. Grind the whole cookies into fine crumbs. The “creme” in the middle adds sweetness and also helps keep the crust together.
• Butter: Melted butter binds the Oreo crumbs together for the crust.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Use good-quality baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces. I love using Ghirardelli brand semi-sweet chocolate in today’s pie.
• Heavy Cream: You’ll heat some of the cream for the ganache, whip the rest for the filling, and use more for the whipped cream topping. Keep the cream cold until you’re ready to whip it.
• Malted Milk Powder: This is where the signature malt flavor comes from, in both the chocolate mousse filling and the whipped cream topping. Be sure to use plain malted milk powder, not a chocolate malt drink mix. I use Nestle Carnation malted milk powder, which is readily available in most grocery stores. (Not working with this brand, it’s just what I use!)
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the chocolate and malt flavors. Feel free to use vanilla bean paste, which I usually choose when making the whipped cream topping.
• Salt: To balance all the flavors.
• Confectioners’ Sugar: To sweeten the whipped topping.
• Malted Milk Balls: Such as Whoppers. You’ll pulse these into coarse crumbs and layer them in the filling. Save some for garnishing the pie before serving, too!

Start With the Oreo Cookie Crust

We’re using an Oreo cookie crust here, made with just two ingredients: Oreo cookies and melted butter. It’s the same crust we use for Nutella cream pie, cookies & cream pie, mocha chocolate pudding pie, and crème de menthe pie, and it’s the perfect chocolatey base for this malted chocolate pie, too. It’s my go-to.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes so it stays sturdy and intact when you slice the pie. Let it cool completely before you add the filling. Feel free to make the crust a day ahead of time.

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Creamy Malted Chocolate Mousse Filling

While this pie may resemble this fan-favorite sky-high chocolate mousse pie, the mousse-like filling for this malted chocolate pie doesn’t require making a meringue. (Which makes this an egg-free baking recipe.)

Instead, the filling is a combination of chocolate ganache and homemade whipped cream. The ganache provides the rich chocolate flavor, while the whipped cream lightens everything up into a soft, velvety mousse-like filling. We do something similar when making no-bake cheesecake.

Start by making a simple chocolate ganache. Heat some of the heavy cream until it’s just beginning to gently simmer, then pour it over chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then stir until the chocolate is smooth:

Sift the malted milk powder into the chocolate mixture. Malted milk powder tends to clump, so I highly recommend taking the extra minute to sift it. Add the vanilla and salt, then whisk everything together until relatively smooth. Let the mixture cool completely before moving on. This is important! If the chocolate mixture is still warm, it will melt the whipped cream when you fold it in.

When it’s ready, whip cold heavy cream until medium-to-stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. It will take several turns of your spatula to fully incorporate the two mixtures, but just keep folding:

The result is a deliciously creamy chocolate malt filling that’s rich without being dense. Sneak a taste at this point!!

Spread about half (just eyeball it) of the filling into the cooled Oreo crust. An offset spatula is a handy tool here:

Add a Crispy Malted Milk Ball Layer

Here’s where we add even more malt flavor and a little crunch.

Pulse malted milk balls in your food processor until very coarsely ground. Instead of using a food processor, you could seal some malted milk balls in a zipped-top bag and bang with a rolling pin.

Sprinkle them over the filling:

Add the remaining filling and gently smooth it into an even layer:

Cover the pie and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days. This gives the filling plenty of time to firm up so you can get nice, clean slices.

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Finish With Malted Whipped Cream

The topping is a simple homemade whipped cream with another dose of malted milk powder. Spread it over the chilled pie, then serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours. Sprinkle the malted milk balls on top just before slicing so they stay crunchy. I like to leave a few larger candy pieces and even a few whole milk balls for a pretty finish!

If you grew up enjoying old-fashioned diner-style chocolate malts (or maybe just watching movies and TV shows set in the bygone era of malt/soda shops!), this pie will transport you back in time. 🙂

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This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!

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