Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough

Mini Pies....Hand Pies...have you had them?  I think they are brilliant! Individual sized pie servings, oh yum!  

They say that mini pies are the new cupcakes!  

Robert Rose recently released 175 Best Mini Pie Recipes, and I was sent a copy to review.  What a neat book, so full of inspiration.  And not just sweet pies, but savoury pies too.  I've been eyeing the Strawberry Basil Hand Pies (I'm a bit of a strawberry basil junkie lately...see this post, and this post) and the Pork Empanadas with Salsa Verde sound delicious too!  It was hard to pick one recipe to try and share with you, but alas, I did it, and I picked the Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough.  

Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough

Just small amounts of cocoa and espresso powder transform already rich pecan pie into a darker, more deeply flavored and certainly more decadent treat. At any dessert table, these tarts are sure to disappear quickly.

Dark Chocolate Pie Dough

Makes about 1 3⁄4 lbs (875 g) dough

Enough for 16 to 24 pies, depending on size

What You'll Need:

• Food processor

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tbsp granulated sugar

1⁄2 tsp salt

8 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed

1⁄2 cup cold buttermilk (see Tips, below)

1 large egg yolk

In food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt to combine.

Scatter butter overtop and pulse several times, until pieces are the size of peas.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk.

Drizzle half the buttermilk mixture over flour mixture and pulse 4 to 5 times to combine. Add more of the mixture 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until dough begins to hold together in moist clumps (you might not need all the mixture).

Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap or a large bowl and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (see Make Ahead, below).

Tips: For best results, always sift cocoa powder before adding it to recipes, to avoid scattered clumps of bitter cocoa flavor in your crust or pie filling.

If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) cold milk mixed with 1 tsp (5 mL) white or cider vinegar. Set aside at room temperature for 5 minutes before using in recipe.

This dough can be a bit more crumbly than some of the others, so you may need to work it a bit more to make it pliable and easy to shape.

And now, for the "good stuff" - the filling!

Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts

What You'll Need:

• 3 1⁄2-inch (8.75 cm) round cutter

• Two 12-cup muffin tins, greased

1 Recipe Dark Chocolate Pie Dough (see above)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons heavy or whipping (35%) cream

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

3⁄4 cup light corn syrup

3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 1⁄4 cupschopped pecans

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a thickness of 1⁄8 inch (3 mm). Using cutter, cut into rounds and fit into muffin cups. Reroll scraps as necessary.

Place tins in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, cocoa, cream and espresso powders until smooth. Add corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt, mixing until well combined. Stir in pecans.

Spoon filling into chilled shells until three-quarters full. Bake in center of preheated oven until filling is set, 22 to 27 minutes.

Cool pies completely in tins on wire racks for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from tins. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

VERDICT:
Holy chocolatey mocha goodness!  These were a hit with the family, and my co-workers.  I took a tray into work, and all but a half of tart were left by the end of the work day.  Must have been a hit!  We tried ours with some fresh whip cream - a nice touch!  Will definitely make these again!

Excerpted from 175 Best Mini Pie Recipes by Julie Anne Hession © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.