Chocolate Fried Hand Pies iced in phases of the moon. These were made to celebrate the eclipse in 2017, but no need to wait for another eclipse!
Author: Portlandia Pie Lady
Ingredients
Chocolate Pudding Filling
1/2 cupunsweetened dutch cocoa powder
1-1/8 cupsugar
1/3cupcornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2cupsmilk (I used 1%, but 2% or Whole Milk is great)
1-1/2cupshalf & half
2tablespoonsbutter
1-1/2teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1/4cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Buttermilk Fried Pastry Crust
6cupsall purpose flour
6tablespoons pure cane sugar
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2teaspoonsalt
2cupsshortening
1-1/2cupsbuttermilk
3eggsbeaten
2tablespoonswater
Chocolate Glaze
2cupspure cane powder sugar
2/3cupsunsweetened dutch cocoa powder
6 to 7tablespoons milk
1teaspoonvanilla
Instructions
Chocolate Pudding
In a medium size saucepan, mix cocoa, sugar, cornstarch and salt, whisk well. Gradually add milk to dry ingredients in saucepan. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking while boiling for 1 minute, remove from heat.
Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Whisk until chocolate and butter is melted.
Pour pudding into bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed onto surface to prevent skin. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours until cooled.
Buttermilk Fried Pastry Crust
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Add the shortening and cut in with a fork until crumbly.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk and water, pour into dry ingredients all at once. Stir just enough to form a ball. IF it feels like you are forcing it into a ball, you made need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Fried Pie Assembly & Frying
Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-1/2-inch cookie cutter cut out the circles, 2 per moon pie.
Place the bottoms for each pie onto parchment (easier to grab off parchment for frying).
Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooled pudding onto each bottom crust. Brush water around edge of bottom dough. Gently stretch top crust over bottom, press edges down with fingers and crimp with fork.
Heat deep fryer to 375 F, or use skillet and heat oil over medium-high heat. If it starts to smoke, remove pan from burner, let cool until stop smoking. Lower the heat and place pan back on burner. You can place a small piece of scrap crust into hot oil to be sure it is hot enough, dough should start sizzling immediately.
Fry for about 1-1/2 minutes on each side in hot oil (if using fryer total time is still 1-1/2 minutes per side. If you prefer to bake, brush tops with a beaten egg or milk & bake in oven for 20-22 minutes at 425 F. Drain on paper towel (or cool from oven).
Mix all chocolate glaze ingredients together and dip in pies to glaze (Makes 20 - 24 moon hand pies)