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Sometimes you want a little bite of rich, gooey chocolate. These Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Chess Pies will satisfy that craving, I promise you.
And since I ate about a dozen of these, you can trust me on that.
Oh my gosh you guys. Have you been watching Grey’s Anatomy the last few weeks? Holy moly. Talk about tear city. I seriously cannot handle anything medical having to do with kids or babies. It’s just…wrong.
TV shows are supposed to make us happy. Sick babies and sad pregnant women? Are not happy.
The whole thing reminded me of when John Carter (on ER) and his wife lost their baby. I saw that episode about one month before I got pregnant but since I was already in the process of getting pregnant, it stuck with me. Every time Jordan stopped moving for 5 minutes I drank orange juice or ate chocolate to make her move.
Wait. She’s addicted to OJ and chocolate. #lightbulbmoment
So if you’ve been watching those tear-jerker episodes or if you’ve been dieting since January and need some chocolate, I’ve got a great recipe for you today: Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Chess Pies. They’re little pies that are super fudgy, rich, and chocolatey, and they’re filled with hazelnut flavor.
Pretty much if you’re craving the inside of a brownie, these pies are for you.
Most of the hazelnut flavor in these pies come from International Delight coffee creamer. I used the Fat Free & Sugar Free Toasted Hazelnut and wow, am I glad I picked some of that up at the store. It’s great in coffee but it’s even better in pie.
Over the last several months I’ve made lots of recipes using International Delight. I think what I love so much about using coffee creamer in dessert recipes is that it adds flavor in place of using milk. It’s such a versatile product because you can change the flavor of any recipe just by changing the flavor of the creamer.
Also? The new International Delight coffee creamers come Fat Free AND Sugar Free. That means I can add some sweetness without sacrificing calories. There are only 15 calories per serving! It’s kind of the perfect way to switch up your favorite recipes.
Like Chess Pie.
Have you ever had a chess pie before? There are so many different kinds out there. Traditionally I think that chess pie is kind of like a baked custard pie. The base of the filling are eggs, sugar, and milk. Some recipes add flour and/or cornmeal, and some add vinegar. Some add lemon, and these? These add chocolate.
I love making mini pies because they are easy to serve. They’re kind of like cookies in that way; you can put out a platter at a party or you can freeze them and take out 1 or 2 (or 6) as you have a craving. Making these mini pies is super easy. You can use a homemade pie crust, but for this recipe I used a refrigerated crust from a pack of two.
To make your mini pies you just cut 2″ circles with a round cookie cutter (or glass). Press them into mini muffin pans and poof – you have mini pies. With re-rolling, each crust makes about 18-20 pies. I used one crust, but you could easily double this recipe to make more.
The filling whisks together in less than 5 minutes. I added cocoa powder to the eggs and sugar in the basic chess recipe. Then, instead of using milk, I substituted the Toasted Hazelnut International Delight Coffee Creamer. It adds some wonderful flavor! I also used some extra hazelnut extract, but that’s optional. The coffee creamer will give enough flavor, I promise.
And? If you don’t like hazelnut, you can use your favorite flavor coffee creamer! Vanillla, Chocolate Marshmallow, Almond Biscotti, you name it, ID has it. Make your favorite pie.
I added some chopped hazelnuts on top because it made it prettier. I know hazelnuts are expensive, so you can substitute almonds if you want.
It doesn’t matter how you make these – just make them. They’ll totally satisfy your chocolate craving!
Pie with a gooey chocolate almost brownie batter like filling. Is there anything better?
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Chess Pies
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated pie crust from a pack of two, or a homemade pie crust
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon hazelnut extract optional
- 1/3 cup Hazelnut Coffee Creamer
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray.
- Unroll your pie crust and cut 2” circles. Press into the muffin pan. Re-roll as needed. You should be able to get about 18-22 mini crusts from one pie crust. Chill until filling is ready.
- Whisk butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and egg until smooth. Whisk in extracts and coffee creamer. (The hazelnut extract is optional but adds extra hazelnut flavor.)
- Place 1 tablespoon of filling in each crust. Top with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts. The chopped hazelnuts are optional because I know they are expensive, but totally worth it here. In a pinch you can use almonds instead.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until the crusts are slightly browned. The filling will puff up slightly as it bakes.
- Cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month.
See more of my coffee creamer recipes here!
To celebrate the Fat Free & Sugar Free flavors, International Delight has created a fun (and crazy addicting) game, Hazelnut Blitz. Every game you play gives you a chance to win prizes! Plus, check out all the flavors, get some recipes, and more.
Easy Homemade Thick Chocolate Sauce
Sweets from friends:
Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Butter by Texanerin
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies by Roxana’s Home Baking
Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Bars by Mom on Timeout
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.
These are too cute! I love chess pies and these mini ones are adorable 🙂 I’m going to check out your huge pb chess pie next!
I get why it’s so easy to eat a dozen 🙂 I could probably challenge you and push for 18 easily 😉
Oh Dorothy I completely get “can’t watch anything where a child is hurt” and how it got really hard/impossible once I had my own babies. I remember my mother walking out of Fame during Coco’s creepy photography scene. I didn’t understand it then. I do now. And yes, Grey’s has been tough with that. I second the Downton Abbey recommendation…it’s so good. Funny, I always think of my mother and how she would have loved watching it.
On the food side…these cute little pies are right up my alley!
I am in charge of the dessert trays for an upcoming bridal shower. The bride requested finger food and chocolate. I think these little pies fit her requirements perfectly and will be making an appearance at the shower (possibly in several flavors). Thanks, Dorothy!
Oh those are absolutely adorable, I love mini desserts! Especially when they involve chocolate! Pinned!
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