These uncomplicated chocolate hand pies are quicker to make then a whole pie and are perfect for sharing. Filled with the easiest dark chocolate pecan ganache and topped with smooth and creamy whipped cream. If you're looking for a delicious and effortless pie recipe, look no further!
Why You'll Love This Chocolate Hand Pie Recipe
- Made with a fool-proof flakey pie dough that is easy to work with.
- The chocolate pecan filling has all the same flavors as the classic pie.
- These mini pies are great small desserts for sharing.
- This simple and versatile recipe can be made with many other flavor options!
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What You Need
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Flour- all-purpose flour is best for this recipe and should not be substituted.
- Butter- I like to cut the cold butter into cubes and then place them in the freezer or keep them in the fridge while measuring the other ingredients.
- Water- the water needs to be ice cold before adding it to the dough. You can add ice cubes to a bowl of water and then measure the amount from the bowl right before using.
- Heavy whipping cream- the cream needs to be thick whipping cream and should not be substituted or the filling will be too thin.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips- you can substitute it with milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips if you desire.
- Cocoa powder- a dark dutch process cocoa powder will give the filling a rich dark chocolate flavor.
Recipe Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: In a stand mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar, and cold cubes of butter. The butter needs to be cold and not warm or the pies will not be flakey.
Step 2: Using the paddle attachment, mix the dough on low speed for 2-3 minutes or until the butter is in small pieces and it looks like corn meal.
Step 3: With the mixer running on low, slowly stream in the very cold water until the dough starts to come together. You might not need all the water. The dough will be soft but not sticky when it's done.
Step 4: Divide the dough into two equal portions and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Flatten them into a disk and place them in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Step 5: In a small pot, add the cream, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and salt. Heat the cream over medium low heat for 6-7 minutes until steaming and just starting to boil.
Step 6: Add the chocolate chips to a bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let it sit for 1 minute then use a spoon to combine them. Add the soft butter and chopped pecans and mix to combine. Set the bowl aside to cool and firm up. Do not refrigerate.
Step 7: Place one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use a 2 ½ inch cutter to cut the dough rounds. You will get 18 rounds total. You can rework and re-roll the dough twice.
Step 8: Lightly beat an egg and use a pastry brush to brush 9 of the rounds with the egg. Add 2-3 teaspoons of the filling to the center of the egg brushed round and lightly flatten the top with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
Step 9: Place the other half of the dough on top and lightly seal the edges with your fingers to lock in the filling, then seal the edges with a fork.
Use a sharp knife to cut a small X on top for steam to escape. Place the pies on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze them while the oven preheats to 375 F/190 C. Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
More Filling Ideas
I love to use this hand pie recipe to make other tasty pie flavors. You can replace the chocolate filling with others like:
- Raspberry jam
- Blackberry jam
- Cherry compote
- Canned apple pie filling
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store the un-glazed baked pies in an air tight container at room temperature.
Before eating, you can reheat them in the oven or microwave and then top them with the whipped cream.
Once topped with the cream, keep the pies in the fridge so they don't spoil.
You can also freeze the pies before baking for up to 3 months. Once the pies are filled and assembled, store them in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to bake.
Expert Tips
- Always spoon measure your flour when baking-This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. This will give the most accurate results when baking without a kitchen scale.
- Dark vs. light baking pans- baking pans conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your pan is dark or black you should decrease the heat to 350 F/177 C.
- Use only cold butter- do not use warm or room temperature butter or your pie dough will be sticky and the pies will not be flakey once baked.
- Use only cold water- using warm water will prematurely melt the butter.
- Chill the dough- chilling the dough will make the pies really flakey once they bake. The dough should be chilled for a minimum of one hour, but you can leave it in the fridge for up to two days.
- Don't overfill the pies- over filling the pies will cause the filling to leak out when baking.
FAQ's
Overfilling the hand pies can cause them to leak. Also make sure you are sealing the edges of the pies well with a fork to prevent the filling from leaking out.
If your pie dough is sticky, you may have incorporated the butter too much into the dough or you added too much water. Add more flour to the dough 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is soft and workable but not sticky.
More Chocolate Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Chocolate Hand Pies
Equipment
- Standing mixing bowl
- paddle attachment
- plastic wrap
- small pot
- Rolling Pin
- pastry brush
- baking tray
- parchment paper
- 2 ½ inch round cutter
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour 200 grams
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar 30 grams
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 11 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cubed 155 grams
- ⅓ cup cold water 75 grams
Filling Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon dutch cocoa powder 3 grams
- ⅓ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ⅛ cup brown sugar, packed 27 grams
- ⅛ cup heavy whipping cream 33 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped pecans 20 grams
- 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 22.5 grams
- 1 lightly beaten egg, for assembling
Whipped Cream Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cold heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions
Making the Dough
- In a stand mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar, and cubed butter.
- Begin mixing the dough with the paddle on low for 2-3 minutes, or until the butter is worked into the dough and looks like corn meal. There should be some slightly bigger pieces of butter still remaining.
- With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the very cold water until the dough starts to come together. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Divide the dough in half. Press each portion into a disk and wrap in cling wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Making the Filling
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt over medium low heat for 3-4 minutes until the cream is steaming and just starting to boil.
- Add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over the top. Let it sit for 1 minute then stir to combine and melt the chocolate.
- Add the room temperature butter and stir until melted, then add the chopped pecans and stir to combine. Set the bowl aside to cool and firm. Do not refrigerate or the filling will be too firm to scoop.
Rolling The Dough
- When the dough has chilled, remove from the cling wrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough disk then use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a small 2 ½ inch round cutter to cut out the dough. Rework any dough scraps and re-roll until you have 18 rounds. You can re-roll the dough up to 2 times. Keep the rounds in the fridge or freezer to keep the dough cold so it doesn't get too warm.
- Lightly beat an egg and use a pastry brush to lightly brush 9 of the rounds with the egg.
- Scoop about 2-3 teaspoons of the chocolate filling into the center of the egg brushed rounds. Use your finger or a spoon to gently press down the filling into a flat top.
- Cover the filling with the other half of the dough rounds and gently press the edges to seal them together.
- Using a fork, gently press it around the edges of each pie to further seal the dough together.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a small X shape on the top of each pie to allow any steam to release while baking. Place the pies on a parchment lined baking tray and place it in the freezer while the oven preheats to 375 degrees F/190 C.
- Space the pies 2-3 inches apart and bake them for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges of the dough start to turn golden brown. Let the tray cool on a wire rack.
Making the Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add the cold cream, powdered sugar, corn starch, and vanilla paste. Use a mixer or hand whisk the cream until medium soft peaks form. The cream will be slightly thickened but not runny.
- Spoon the whipped cream on top of each pie and top with additional chopped pecans and shaved chocolate if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Butter- the butter for the pie dough needs to be cold before adding it to the mixing bowl. I like to cut it into cubes and then place them in the freezer or keep them in the fridge while measuring the other ingredients.
- Water- the water needs to be ice cold before adding it to the dough. You can add ice cubes to a bowl of water and then measure the amount from the bowl.
- Heavy whipping cream- the cream needs to be thick whipping cream and should not be substituted with any other kind of cream or the filling will be too thin.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips- you can substitute it with milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips if you desire.
Expert Tips
- Always spoon measure your flour when baking-This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. This will give the most accurate results when baking without a kitchen scale.
- Dark vs. light baking pans- baking pans conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your pan is dark or black you should decrease the heat to 350 F/177 C.
- Use only cold butter- do not use warm or room temperature butter or your pie dough will be sticky and the pies will not be flakey once baked.
- Use only cold water- using warm water will prematurely melt the butter.
- Chill the dough- chilling the dough will make the pies really flakey once they bake. The dough should be chilled for a minimum of one hour, but you can leave it in the fridge for up to two days.
- Don't overfill the pies- over filling the pies will cause the filling to leak out when baking.
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
bianca says
i made these pies for my friendsgiving dinner and everyone loved them so much!!!