When I think of “Food Love” one of the first things that comes to mind is Chocolate. I recently found numerous bags of bittersweet chocolate pieces in my cupboard that had called to me on numerous shopping trips. When I was rummaging through my mind, thinking up a proper use for this chocolate, I thought of pie. Not just any pie, but a handheld pie. I love them. I even put a little heart on each one so you know they are baked with love.
Yield: About 7 Individual Pies
INGREDIENTS
1 Box Pillsbury Rolled Pie Crust
1 1/2 Cups Bittersweet Chocolate Pieces
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/8 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Low-fat Milk
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by covering with parchment paper (or foil).
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat combine Chocolate, Butter, Corn Starch, Heavy Cream and Sugar. Mix continuously as Chocolate and Sugar melt. Once melted, hot and thoroughly blended remove from heat and let cool.
3. On a large, lightly floured cutting board roll out one piece of pre-made pie crust. Use a bowl about 5″ in diameter as a cookie cutter to cut large circles out of the dough. You will get about 3 circles from each pre-made pie crust, 6 total. Set 6 circles aside. Take crust remains and re-knead the dough into a small ball. Re-flour the surface of the cutting board and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a thin pie crust, cut 1-2 more crust circles from the dough. (Note: if you have any additional dough remaining you can cut out small shapes – hearts, stars, unicorn heads, etc. to put on the tops of your pies).
4. Take a 5 inch crust circle and lightly coat the inside edge with milk (this will help seal the pie when you fold it shut). Cradle the crust in your hand, bending slightly and spoon 1/4 cup of Melted Chocolate mixture into crust. Fold Pie Crust in 1/2 to form a 1/2 circle and squeeze together at the edges (expect some oozing). Lay the mini-pie on the cutting board and smoosh the edges shut with the tines of a fork. Place pie on parchment paper on baking sheet. Repeat for all pie circles.
5. Once all pies are on the parchment paper, adorn with dough cutouts if wanted and coat all pie crusts with a milk bath to keep crust golden and crispy. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until crust is a golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for about 15 minutes and serve warm. Enjoy!
People! You have no idea what you are missing here!!!! Pie and Chocolate!!! What else can one say?
Haha, well said Tim!
It says 1/8 cup flour, is it just for rolling out the crust or do you add it somewhere in there?
The flour is solely for flouring your surface and rolling out the crust. The only thickener added into the actual pie is the cornstarch. Thanks for asking the clarifying question!
Love this idea and plan on trying it. My Grandma made the best chocolate pie I’m wondering if I could use her recipe in these little tart like pies. I love chocolate!
Hi Celeste, hope you enjoy these pies. Don’t know if they’ll be as great as your Grandmother’s but my friends certainly loved them.
I was just talking to a friend yesterday about my great-grandmother’s chocolate pies. Hers were delicious and of course, they were fried. I like that these are baked and I plan on giving these a try very soon.
Hi Becky, I hope you enjoy this recipe! I also recently found a hand pie press at Target which makes the job of cutting and pressing the dough much easier.
My grandmother made chocolate fried pies via an iron skillet and variations of this recipie have been around for years…a fairly common Southern treat. Elvis had his mother make chocolate fried pies for him. We never bother to cook the chocolate as if you place chocolate pieces and/or cocoa, sugar and butter pieces into the dough…it will melt into wonderfullness and be much less work!
Hi Diana! Thanks so much for the advice. Chocolate squares just wrapped in the dough would be easy and tasty for sure. Aren’t hand pies the best? So wonderful that you shared making (and eating) this treat with your grandmother.