chocolate cardamom pocket pies

• Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
• Spatula andWhisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Sifter
• Few various-sized mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap (for wrapping and chilling dough)
• Pastry brush (or something to apply an egg wash with)
• Large baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Making the Dough (With Extra Flaky Tips)

This dough for these chocolate cardamom pocket pies is closer to a sweet crust pastry dough than pie dough, but don’t let that fool you—it’s still very, very flaky. What sets it apart from the traditional pie dough? Two things actually! One is the addition of a little powdered sugar (gives it some sweetness) and the other is the eggs (makes the dough smooth and supple). To make it you’ll mix the flour, powdered sugar, and salt together in the stand mixer first. I then personally like to take the bowl off the stand and mix the butter in by hand. I toss the cubes of butter in the flour mixture to coat them, then flatten each piece between my fingers to create little “shingles” of butter. You could also beat your cubes of butter on low speed in the mixer until it resembles coarse crumbs. Then you just beat in your eggs one at a time on low until each is fully incorporated. You may have to scrape down the bowl after each if the dough sticks to the paddle. While it’s less crumbly than a pie dough, you still want to avoid over-mixing to keep things light and flaky. Form it into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then chill in the fridge for 1 hour. To create some extra layers: after chilling, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large 10in. square, and fold in half twice (so it’s a quarter of the original size). Repeat the rolling and folding one more time, wrap tightly again in plastic, and chill for 1 more hour in the fridge.

Making the Cardamom Filling

The filling for these pocket pies is essentially just a chocolate ganache. It’s super easy to whip up and should be made right after you make the dough, as it needs time to cool down and thicken before using. You’ll start by chopping up your chocolate into small pieces/chunks and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Then pour your heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan and whisk in your ground cardamom. Heat over medium until simmering (not boiling) and then gently pour over the chocolate. Let it rest for 3 minutes before then gently whisking the two together until smooth and the chocolate has just melted. Don’t skip the resting time and be careful not to whisk too fast—otherwise you risk the mixture thickening too quickly or the chocolate could split (AKA, not good). Let the chocolate cardamom pocket pie filling cool down (it’ll thicken as it does) for 30 minutes to 1 hour before using. You want it to have thickened enough to scoop out, but still easy to spread. If your mixture hardens too quickly before using: heat in 5-second increments in the microwave until it softens a bit (may only take 1 or 2 rounds of heating) and then gently mix with a spatula or whisk until smooth again.

Assembling These Chocolate Cardamom Pocket Pies

Use the images below as your guide to assembling these flaky chocolate pastries! If at any point your dough gets soft (like after rolling and cutting out the rectangles), just pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm back up. It’ll be easier to handle and you want to keep the butter as cold as possible to ensure a flaky AF end result!

1. Lightly whisk an egg for an egg wash in a small bowl.
2. Brush the outside edge of half of your rectangles with the egg wash.
3. Fill the middles of those halves with 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of the chocolate filling.
4. Place the other half of your rectangles on top, gently pressing down around the edges with your fingers to seal them.
5. Crimp around the outside edge with the tip of a fork and poke a few sets of holes in the tops of each (allows steam to escape during the bake).
6. Chill these in the fridge for 30 minutes before brushing generously with the egg wash and sprinkling with turbinado/demerara sugar.
7. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes or until nice and dark (I sometimes even go up to 30 minutes, just depends on how your oven works).

Making the Cardamom Glaze

The glaze for these babies is super easy to throw together. Just sift your powdered sugar into a small bowl, whisk in your whole milk by the tablespoon, and then whisk in your ground cardamom. If you want the glaze to be thicker, sift in some more powdered sugar until the desired consistency. Want it thinner? Add more whole milk by the tablespoon. Make sure your pocket pies are completely cool before adding the glaze. Otherwise it’ll melt and slide right off! You can also pipe or drizzle the glaze overtop instead of spooning like I did—baker’s choice!

Chocolate Cardamom Pocket Pies

Yields 6 Large Pocket Pies, Total Time ~4 hours (with Chill Time) Ingredients Pastry Dough

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (295g)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (55g)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter (226g) cut into 1in. cubes
• 3 large eggs (~55g each) (2 for the pastry, 1 for an egg wash)
• Turbinado/demerara sugar for topping

• 6 oz. dark chocolate, 88% cocoa (170g)—Two Endangered Species Chocolate Bars
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (160g)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 2 1/2 cups powered sugar, sifted (~250g)
• 4–5 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom