Chocolate Sweet Hearts

These heart-shaped, chocolate-filled hand pies  are a sure way to win your sweetheart's heart 

Made with LOVE

Say hello to my 💓
My heart is sweet and warm ... and stuffed with smooth and creamy chocolate, of course :)
These hand pies are all you love about pie crust and spreadable chocolate bundled up in cute and most dangerous heart-shaped cookie. 
Each one of this has a buttery, flaky and slightly crispy-at-the-edges outer crust. It has a sugary crunch on top. And it has a soft and warm Nutella filling. 

I say, be MINE!

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you today. It's the perfect Valentine's recipe idea.
You can bake these for your sweetheart and surprise him (or her!) with a cozy breakfast in bed, serving them warm next to a smoking hot cup of cappuccino or tea. And why not?!? Pack a few, and hide them in his briefcase or lunch bag for later. He will be pleasantly surprised, I'm telling you!
These sweet hearts also make the perfect edible Valentine for everybody. So whip  up a batch or two, and send them to your friends and neighbors. And spread the love. As I said last week, the world needs a little bit more love ... and chocolate!

Look at this!
Look at the golden decorated edges, the puffy middle part sprinkled with sparkling sugar, and the dark and tempting chocolate oozing from the center. 
These are not your average, flat and uninteresting two cookies sealed together, with chocolate stuffing spilling from every side. Not these! 

Here is my secret for a puffy and round tummy in these babies. No matter what shape hand pie you want to make, this is going to work. 
What you need are two cookie cutters, in the same shape but different size, a smaller and one just slightly bigger. 
You will use the smaller cookie for the bottom of the hand pie, and the slightly bigger cookie to cover the top. Given the stuffing in the middle, the two will perfectly seal together at the edges, without stretching the top, and without squeezing the filling all over the place. 
Ingenious, right!??

This foolproof technique will work for any shape really, not just hearts. I own a set cookie cutters, great and inexpensive - I've got mine at Amazon. Here is the link if you are interested.

  

Now it's time to say I love you with sweet heart pies!

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: about 30 cookies

1. • 2 cups (300 gr) of all-purpose flour
   • 1/4 cup (50 gr) of sugar
   • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
   • 6 oz (170 gr) of cold unsalted butter
   • about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of cold milk
   • 1 egg for egg wash
   • about 1/3 of a cup of nutella or other spreadable chocolate
   • coarse sparkling sugar to decorate the top

PREPARATION:

TIME: 20 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes inactive, 15 minutes to bake

Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter cut in pieces in a food processor. Pulse until you get a coarse meal with pea-size butter pieces.

Add 1/3 cup (80 ml) of cold milk at fist. Pulse and gradually add the rest of the milk (if needed) a bit at a time while pulsing. Stop as soon as the dough starts to come together.

Move to a piece of plastic wrap. Gather the dough into a ball. Make into a disc, wrap into the plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C). Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch (about 3 mm) thickness.
Suggestion: Work with only half of the dough at first, and store the other half in the refrigerator. So it stays nice and cold, and easier to work with.

Use two heart shaped (or other shape) cookie cutters, close in size. Mine are 2 1/2 inch (65 mm) and 2 1/4 inch (57 mm).

Cut as many smaller hearts as bigger ones (about 30 of each). Make sure to re-roll the dough scrapes.

You will use the smaller cookies for the bottom of the hand pie, and the bigger to put on top.

Beat one egg with one tablespoon of water for the egg wash. Alternatively you can use some milk.
Brush the edges of the SMALLER hearts with egg wash.
Add about half teaspoon of nutella or other spreadable chocolate in the center of the smaller hearts.

Cover with the bigger heart cookie. Seal the dough well on all the sides pushing down with the tip of your finger.

And crimp with the teeth a fork.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Brush the top with more egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 400° F (205° C) for about 15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

Enjoy :)