Chocolate Almond Hand Pies [Recipe]
Almonds and chocolate are a perfect match! Now wrap it in the flaky pastry and you’ll get a scrumptious bite! That’s one of my favorite desserts for any occasion because you get it all: the cream, the crunch, and the aroma!
This pastry is like a dash of France, so I always imagine myself on the streets of Paris while devouring chocolate almond hand pies in my kitchen… It has almonds as a base note and chocolate to boost the flavors. You can undoubtedly choose between dark or white chocolate filling, or like me, use both.
What Makes Chocolate Almond Hand Pies Special?
I added almond flour to the dough along with other ingredients as it makes the dough even flakier. When it comes to filling, use your imagination! I made two combos – almonds-dark chocolate-almond butter and almonds-white chocolate-coconut.
The one with coconut has a pretty similar taste to Raffaelo truffles, it’s milky, fruity, sweet, and super luxurious. The other one is a classic – rich and slightly bitter, a real treat for chocolate lovers. For those who can’t make a choice – I got you! Here’s the recipe for both!
How to Make Chocolate Almond Hand Pies?
I used the classic recipe for pie crust, but added a few changes, though. Almonds are a superstar ingredient here, so I use them in several shapes to enhance those layers of relish. Here’s your shopping list!
- Flour – All-purpose flour is the best to use as a base. I also added some almond flour to intensify the almond flavor and crusty texture.
- Butter – Butter needs to be frozen so it can give both: melt-in-mouth texture and flakiness. Plus, I use almond butter in the ganache for the toasted flavor, but this is 100% optional.
- Sugar – Powdered sugar blends perfectly with the dough.
- Egg – I used egg yolk only for the dough to magnify the buttery feel.
- Water – Use just a bit of ice-cold water.
- Chocolate – I used three types: dark, milk, and white chocolate.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream is responsible for the perfect consistency of ganache.
- Almonds – I use slightly bigger pieces of almonds to achieve the signature crunch.
- Coconut – Coconut is there just for the flavor, if you’re not a fan, skip it.
Let’s get on baking!
Step 1: Making the Dough
In a blender, combine flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, yolks, and frozen butter cubes. Pulsate it for a few seconds until all the butter is combined and the mixture is crumbly. Add some ice-cold water, just enough for you to form a ball, not a drop more (that’s a tablespoon or two).
Wrap the dough in the plastic foil and press it in the middle to form a disc. Now, refrigerate it for an hour or more.
Step 2: Rolling Out the Dough
Spread the baking paper and dust it with flour. Place the dough disc in the middle and cover it with one more piece of parchment paper. This way, you’ll be able to roll it out swiftly without it sticking on the surface or the rolling pin. Be patient as it will take some time to roll it out to a 1/8 inch (4 millimeters) thin crust.
If it’s too hard to roll out, leave it for a few minutes to soften a bit. Take a cookie cutter and press it into the dough. I used a round shape, you can use anything you want. Arrange those cut-outs on the baking paper and put them back in the fridge again, for at least half an hour.
Step 3: Making the Ganache
Heat the heavy cream and divide it into two bowls. Combine dark and milk chocolate with heavy cream in one bowl, and add chopped almonds. I mixed in some almond butter for a superb taste.
For Raffaelo-like pastries, combine another half of the heavy cream with white chocolate, almonds, and some coconut flakes. Chocolate needs to be well melted and perfectly combined with the cream before you add anything else.
Step 4: Assembling the Pastries
Remove your cut-outs from the fridge and let’s get on the filling. The first step is to brush egg whites on the brim of the circles, so they can stick well. Now, take some filling (a teaspoon or two depending on how big the cutouts are) and place it in the middle.
I made them with two different ganaches, so I filled one batch with dark choco and another batch with white cream.
You can fold the dough in half – moon shaped-like, but I rather put one on top of the other so they keep their circular shape. Press the fork around the edge of the pastry, so they stay put through the baking. Make three cuts with a knife on the top, to prevent the filling from blowing out.
Get back the prepared pies to the fridge while you wait for the oven to heat.
Step 5: Baking
Prepare an egg wash by whisking together egg yolk and some water. This will secure the nice golden-brown crust. Brush the hand pies with egg wash over the top. You can sprinkle some almond flakes over them if you want.
Bring the oven to 375° F (190° C) and place the baking tray in. Keep an eye on them and when they get this nice golden color, they are ready. Wait a bit for them to chill and they are ready to demolish!
How to Store Chocolate Almond Pie?
The storing ways are exactly the same as for any other pie crust. When freezing raw hand pies, they can last for three months, just wrap them in plastic foil very well. They can stay in the fridge for 3 days, though.
When speaking of baked hand pies, you can freeze them for 3 months, too. They will be good to eat for 3 days when kept at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container, nevertheless.
Chocolate Almond Hand Pies
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 Cookie tray
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (220 grams)
- ½ cup almond flour (60 grams)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (20 grams)
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup butter (150 grams)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
Dark Almond Ganache
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60 milliliters)
- 1 oz dark chocolate (30 grams)
- 1 oz milk chocolate (30 grams)
- 1 oz crushed almonds (30 grams)
- 1 tbsp almond butter
White Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60 milliliters)
- 2 oz white chocolate (60 grams)
- 1 oz crushed almonds (30 grams)
- 2 tbsp coconut flakes
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Merge flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, a touch of salt, egg yolks, and frozen butter cubes in a blender.
- Pulsate it for a few seconds until all the butter is combined and the mixture is crumbly. Add some ice-cold water, just enough for you to form a ball, not a drop more.
- Wrap the dough in the plastic foil and shape it into a disc by pressing down in the center. Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Rolling Out the Dough
- Lay out a sheet of baking paper and lightly dust it with flour. Position the dough disc in the center and cover it with an additional piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough until it is ⅛ inch (4 millimeters) thick.
- If the dough is too firm to roll, let it sit for several minutes to soften slightly. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough; any shape is suitable.
- Place the cut-outs on the baking paper and return them to the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Making the Ganache
- Warm the heavy cream and distribute it evenly between two bowls.
- In one bowl, mix dark and milk chocolate with heavy cream, then add chopped almonds and almond butter.
- In the other bowl, combine the remaining heavy cream with white chocolate, almonds, and a few coconut flakes.
Assembling the Pastries
- Brush egg whites on the brim of the circles, so they can stick well.
- Place a teaspoon or two of filling (based on the size of the cutouts) in the center of each dough circle.
- You can either fold the dough into a half-moon shape or stack one circle on top of another to maintain the circular form.
- Use a fork to press down on the edges of the pastry to ensure they remain sealed during baking. Create three slits on the top with a knife to prevent the filling from bursting out.
- Return the assembled pastries to the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
Baking
- Prepare an egg wash by whisking together egg yolk and some water.
- Brush the top of each hand pie with the egg wash. Optionally, you can add a sprinkling of almond flakes.
- Bring the oven to 375° F (190° C) and place the baking tray in. Monitor the pastries, and once they achieve a beautiful golden hue, they are ready to be enjoyed.
