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Chocolate Hand Pies for Halloween
Halloween is full of festive treats. It is also full of fun fall activities. Make these chocolate hand pies and you can take them with you to enjoy during those fall activities! There’s nothing like having a decadent homemade treat on hand while you search for the perfect pumpkin, go on a haunted hayride, or even while you’re out trick or treating. These hand pies are tender on the outside and gooey on the inside. The frosting on top adds just enough sweetness. They’re hard to resist!
You will need ...
For the dough
- All Purpose Flour, 1 1/4 Cup
- Dark Cocoa Powder, 1/4 Cup
- Powdered Sugar, 3 T
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed, 1 Cup
- Heavy Cream, 2/3 Cup
For the filling
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 1 1/2 Cups
- Heavy Cream, 1/3 Cup
For the frosting
- Powdered Sugar, 3 Cups
- Milk, 1/3 Cup
- Coloring
Step One
First, prepare the dough. In a food processor, combine the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Next, slowly add in the cubes of cold butter and blend until incorporated. Then, slowly add the cold cream a little at a time. Stop adding when the dough begins to come together. If you find you have added too much cream, you can add a little flour to dry it out.
NOTE: If you do not have a food processor, use a large mixing bowl and your hands. You will just rub the butter between your fingertips to incorporate it with the dry ingredients.
Once the dough comes together, separate it into two batches and shape it into a flat disk about 1″ thick. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Step Two
After the dough is properly chilled, remove it from the fridge to roll it out. I usually roll out my dough between two pieces of parchment paper so I don’t need to add any more flour to the dough. Be sure to roll the dough out evenly to about 1/8″ thickness.
Take a large round cookie cutter and cut out circles. Feel free to re-roll and cut out more circles until all the dough is used up. Then, chill the circles for at least an hour.
Step Three
Make the filling. In a heat proof bowl, place the chocolate. Heat the heavy cream in a microwave safe dish. Be sure to heat it until you see bubbles. The cream needs to be hot enough to melt the chocolate. Then, pour the cream over the chocolate and cover it immediately with plastic wrap. Keep it in a warm place and wait about 3 -5 minutes for the chocolate to melt. Uncover the bowl and use a spatula to stir the cream and chocolate together.
NOTE: if the chocolate does not fully melt, you can place the bowl over a pot of low simmering water and stir just until the chocolate melts completely.
Let the filling sit for about 10 minutes to firm up a bit. This makes it easier to place into the pie pockets.
Step Four
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare a baking sheet or two lined with parchment paper. You will also need a fork, a pastry brush, and a small dish of heavy cream to wash the tops of the pies.
Place one round dough disk on the parchment. Scoop a small amount of the filling into the center of the dough round. Then, gently place another round on top. Next, take the fork and use it to crimp together the edges. After that, brush the tops lightly with some cream. Finally, pierce the tops a few times with the tines of the fork. This creates tiny holes for any steam to escape during baking. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.
Step Five
Place the pies in the oven and bake for about 11-15 minutes. The pies should be removed once the edges of the pies become firm and cookie-like to the touch. Remove the trays and let the pies cool on the trays.
Step Six
Once the pies are cooled, make the frosting. In a medium sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar and the milk. The consistency should be similar to toothpaste. It should not be too runny or it will run off the pies. Then, frost all the pies and top with sprinkles if you prefer. Let dry so the frosting can harden to the touch. Enjoy!