Double Chocolate Hand Pies
If you fancy strong chocolate relish, definitely try this recipe. It is rich, creamy ganache with crunchy hazelnuts wrapped in flaky pastry. What's there not to love?
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 blender
- 1 Cookie tray
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- ¼ cup cocoa (20 grams)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (20 grams)
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup butter (150 grams)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
- 2-3 drops vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup heavy cream (120 milliliters)
- 2 oz dark chocolate (60 grams)
- 2 oz milk chocolate (60 grams)
- 1 ½ oz hazelnuts (40 grams)
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Freeze cubed butter.
- Blend dry ingredients such as flour, powdered sugar, cocoa, and a touch of salt in a sifter.
- Move the blended ingredients to a blender, then add the frozen butter cubes, egg yolks, and a small amount of vanilla extract.
- Pulse the blender until a crumbly consistency is achieved.
- Add spoon by spoon of ice-cold water – until it's combined. Be careful not to add too much water, though, the dough shouldn't be moist. You'll need to shape it by hand, but not knead it at all, so the butter doesn't melt.
- Split the dough into two portions, create discs, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Rolling the Dough
- Lay baking paper on the countertop and sprinkle it with cocoa.
- Roll out the dough fresh from the fridge. It will be hard, though, so if you can't roll it out immediately, leave it for about 5 minutes on the counter to soften. Lightly pat the dough with a rolling pin until it's easy to roll out.
- Roll the dough until it is 1/8 inch (4 millimeters) thin. Cut out circles or your desired shapes with a cookie cutter, and transfer them to a baking tray. Chill the dough circles in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Making the Ganache
- Toast hazelnuts in a preheated oven at 350° F (175° C) for around 15 minutes, arranged in a single layer on a baking tray. After baking, use a cloth to rub off the skins.
- Use a knife or blender to chop the hazelnuts. If you're using a blender, pulsate it a few times and be careful not to turn it into powder.
- In the meantime, heat the heavy cream until it boils, then remove it from heat. Mix in chopped dark and milk chocolate, whisking gently until smooth and well combined. Add crushed hazelnuts and stir again.
Assembling the Pies
- Depending on the size of your circles, place a teaspoon or two of choco ganache in the center. Be careful not to overpack the pastries as they will leak.
- Brush the edges of the dough circles with the egg whites separated from the yolks.
- Fold the dough on top of each other and press the edges with the fork and make three slits on top with a knife. That will secure the folded dough to stay in place.
- Put hand pies back in the fridge while the oven heats.
Baking and Serving
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and bake the hand pies for approximately 30 minutes.
- Leave them on the rack for them to cool before serving. Drizzle some chocolate over and dust the pies generously with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
Keep double chocolate hand pies at room temperature for three days in an air-tight container. You can freeze them for three months, as well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pieceCalories: 715kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 11gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 28gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 443mgPotassium: 329mgFiber: 6gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1216IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 5mg