Chocolate Hazelnut Hand Pies
With this recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Hand Pies, we use an abbreviated version of homemade puff pastry to create rough puff pastry that takes less time but definitely does not sacrifice on those flaky layers or on that ultra-buttery flavor!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 570kcal
Ingredients
Puff Pastry
- 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ⅔ cups unsalted butter cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup ice water
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 ½ tablespoons Demerara sugar or granulated sugar
Chocolate Hazelnut Filling
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bars coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons creamy Nutella or hazelnut spread
Instructions
Prepare the Rough Pastry
- Freeze butter until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.1 ⅔ cups unsalted butter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat flour, cold butter, and salt at low speed just until butter is coated with flour, 15-30 seconds. You just want each butter piece coated, not cut up in any way..3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 ⅔ cups unsalted butter
- With the mixer on low speed, add ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice water in a slow, steady stream, beating just until dough comes together, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and turn dough to help dough hydrate evenly. (There will still be large pieces of butter. It is OK if a few dry bits remain). Pie dough and rough puff dough need just enough hydration to come together and pouring in a slow steady stream helps ensure you’re monitoring the changing texture of your dough. Also, be sure to remove the ice cubes from your ice water before you begin measuring. An ice cube falling into the dough could be just enough extra water to take your mixture from doughy to pastry.⅔ cup ice water
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll gently into a 9-inch square; do not knead. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Gentle mixing ensures that the butter isn’t broken down too much and keeps the dough from developing too much gluten. After mixing, it’s okay to have some dry spots of flour, but your dough should be cohesive. If your mixer doesn’t hydrate the dough evenly, you can gently knead the dough a little by hand. Forming the dough into a compact 9-inch square will also help you knead together the pieces. Your hands are more thorough (and more gentle) than continued mixing in the stand mixer.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18x10-inch rectangle, lightly flouring surface and top of dough as needed; fold dough in thirds, like a letter. Rotate dough 90 degrees; roll into an 18x10-inch rectangle, and fold into thirds, like a letter. Repeat this procedure once more. Folding the dough like a letter stacks the pieces of butter within the dough. This repeated stacking creates layers of butter, allowing for the signature “puff” when the butter steams in the oven. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You will fold the dough into thirds a total of 3 times. If at any point the butter is too soft after a fold, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until butter is firm again, checking in 5-minute intervals. However, if you place it in the freezer during the folds, make sure you keep an eye on it. If it gets too cold, the dough could crack as you roll it out.
Prepare the filling
- Place chopped chocolate into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to form bubbles and begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat then pour over the chocolate. Stir gently using a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the Nutella until fully incorporated. Place in the fridge to chill until ready to use.8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, 5 tablespoons creamy Nutella, 1 cup heavy cream
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18½x16½-inch rectangle (about ⅛ inch thick). Trim edges to create an 18x16-inch rectangle. Cut into 24 (4x3-inch) rectangles. Place flat on the prepared pan, and freeze until firm. Place 12 rectangles at least 1 inch apart on the pan. If all do not fit on one pan, cover the first layer with parchment, and stack a second layer on top. No need to get a second pan. Spread 1½ tablespoons (33 grams) Chocolate Hazelnut Filling onto rectangles, leaving a ¼- to ½-inch border around edges. To keep this process from getting sticky, try using a 1½ tablespoon spring-loaded scoop to portion out the filling. Brush all edges of dough with egg; top with remaining rectangles. Using the tines of a fork dipped in flour, seal edges. (Remove from pan to seal edges if it is easier to work with). Make sure the edges are well sealed so they don’t leak, so be firm with your fork. If you find that the two sheets of dough aren’t meeting up evenly, use a pastry wheel to trim the edges. Freeze until firm, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Brush tops of dough with egg; sprinkle with demerara sugar. The egg wash will give the pastry color and shine, while the sugar adds a touch of crunch. The “X” cut acts as a vent for our wet filling, allowing steam to release from the pie without bursting, so be sure to cut completely through the dough. Using a paring knife, score a small “X” onto the top of the dough.1 large egg, 1 ½ tablespoons Demerara sugar or granulated sugar
- Bake until the sides look dry and the tops and bottoms are a deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Properly sealed and crimped pies shouldn’t leak any filling, but in case one or two have some leaks, be careful moving the pies to a cooling rack. That filling is hot! Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Make Ahead: This rough puff dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you can be ready to make these pies at a moment’s notice. You can make the dough through step 5, rolling it out and cutting it into rectangles before freezing. After your rectangles of dough have been allowed to freeze solid on a baking sheet in the freezer, you can transfer them to a plastic freezer bag or an airtight container. If you’re worried about your dough sticking together, you can layer squares of parchment between each rectangle. When it comes time to bake your hand pies, all you’ll have to do is fill, crimp, set, and bake
Nutrition
Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1112IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg
