With a flaky, buttery double pie crust, sweet cherries, a hint of heat, and a bit of rich chocolate, these Cherry, Chocolate, and Chili Hand Pies are the perfect finger-food to spice up your dessert table or your coffee break.
These Cherry, Chocolate, and Chili Hand Pies are absolutely killer. They have just the right amount of chili in them so that you know there’s something there, but you’re not totally knocked away by it. With a combination of chili powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, the chili cuts through the sweetness of the cherries and is balanced with small pops of rich chocolate.
The other thing about these hand pies is that you get all the flaky pie crust you could want. The crust to filling ratio is absolutely incredible. In every bite, you get a bit of filling surrounded by crispy, buttery dough. One cheat that I’ve started using, courtesy of Erin McDowell from Food52, is rolling and folding the pie dough before leaving it to chill and rest. The rolling process is similar to one I’ve used before for rough puff pastry and biscuits, and it creates thin layers in the dough that makes your pie crust even flakier. Not to mention, it makes the dough easier to work with and roll out when the time for assembly comes.
You can also use fresh cherries in this filling if you desire. Admittedly, I’m too lazy to pit them all. It’s also January, which isn’t necessarily the peak time for cherries, but for some reason, I always want one of these slightly spicy pies while winter is still around. Frozen cherries work wonderfully here to provide a beautifully thick and juicy filling.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15-18 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
hand pies
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- 170 grams all purpose flour (1 3/8 cups when scooped and leveled), plus extra for dusting & rolling
- 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 226 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp vodka
- 12 oz frozen sweet cherries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 2 Tbsp water
- 8-9 tsps bittersweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp water for egg wash
- raw sugar for sprinkling on top
Ingredients
All Butter Double Crust Pie Dough
Cherry Chili Filling
Assembly
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- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingertips, rub in the cubes of butter until you're left with mostly pea-sized chunks of butter.
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the water, ice, apple cider vinegar, and vodka. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of this mix onto the flour/butter mixture. Using a butter knife or your fingers, gently stir to mix until fully incorporated. Continue to add the ice water mix 1-2 Tbsp at a time until fully incorporated. You should notice large chunks beginning to form. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, there should be some dry bits of flour left still. Use your fingertips to gently pinch these bits together with the rest of the dough. You may need to give it one or two gentle kneads to incorporate these dry bits.
- Divide the dough in half. Lightly flour your countertop or work surface. Roll out each half of the dough into a rectangle, about 12"x4". Fold the top 1/3 of the dough to the center. Fold up the bottom 1/3 of dough to overlap with the top half. Flip the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process. Flip 90 degrees and repeat one more time. Wrap in plastic. Using a rolling pin, gently press down to flatten the dough and bring any remaining dry bits at the edges together. Allow the dough to chill and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen cherries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, flour, and vanilla extract. Separately, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 Tbsp of water. Once dissolved, add to the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on medium heat, boiling until the cherries begin to break down, the flour cooks out, and the filling thickens. About 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl or a shallow glass dish and set in the refrigerator to cool.
- Make sure an oven rack is fitted in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the first half of your pie dough until it is about 2mm thick. Using a round cutter, 3.5" across in diameter, cut out your pie dough rounds and set aside. Repeat with the other half of the dough. You should have 16-18 circles of dough.
- In a small measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg with 1 Tbsp of water to make an egg wash. Lightly outline one circle of dough with the egg wash. Place 1 Tbsp of cherry and chili pie filling in the center. Dot the pie filling with 1 tsp of dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, carefully distributing so that the chocolate isn't all in one spot. Place another circle of dough on top, gently pressing down on the edges--be careful not to let the cherry filling ooze out. Use a fork to crimp around the pie. Brush egg wash over the top and sprinkle with a bit of raw sugar. Cut two to three slits into the top crust and transfer the mini pie onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remainder of your dough rounds.*
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill for ten minutes. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15-18 minutes until the cherry and chili filling is bubbling and the pies are golden brown on the top and around the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy while still a bit warm or once completely cooled.
*To make the tops fit a bit easier without stretching, I like to give them another 1-2 rolls until they're a bit larger than the bottom and can easily be draped over the filling without causing any of it to seep out when pressing down on the edges.