Chocolate Fried Pies
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Old-fashioned, made from scratch, chocolate fried pies have no equal. Each fried pie includes a soft flaky outside and the most scrumptious chocolate filling inside.
In the fried pie world, I have two favorites: fried peach pies and old-fashioned chocolate fried pies. For an amazing peach pie like my great-grandmother made, you have to start with dried peaches. Fresh or canned just can’t pack the wallop of flavor that dried ones do. And for fried chocolate pies like I grew up with, you have to make your own chocolate paste out of sugar, butter, and cocoa powder. This is what my Aunt Sue does and you have to use the recipe that I put in my first cookbook like I’m sharing with you here.
My chocolate fried pie recipe is pretty simple to follow, but the results are mouthwateringly good. I mean, can anyone really say no to a rich and decadent chocolate filling wrapped in a flaky pie crust and dusted with sugar? I think not! I’ve heard people say they’re like chocolate pop tarts but better.
The first step is to make the pie dough, using shortening, milk, salt, and all-purpose flour. Then we make the pie filling I mentioned above. Next, pop the paste into the dough to make your pies, and then we fry them! In a few minutes, you’ll have perfectly crisp and flavorful chocolate fried pies. I can’t wait for you to give them a go! They’re irresistible yet so easy to make, which is a win-win situation when it comes to dessert, right?
Now let’s make some chocolate hand pies!
Recipe Ingredients
Crust
- Shortening (like Crisco or coconut oil, I’m using generic)
- Milk
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
Filling
- Sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Chocolate Fried Pies
Place flour, salt, and shortening in a medium bowl. Stir together really well and then cut the shortening into the flour with a long-tined fork.
Or a pastry cutter if you’re feeling fancy.
Pour milk into the flour mixture.
Stir it up really well.
You may need to add more milk, and that is perfectly okay. Add a tablespoon or so at a time until it forms a ball of dough.
Divide that up into 10 ball-shaped portions.
In a separate medium bowl, place melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder.
Stir it up really well. It will form a paste.
Note: This is a gritty chocolate paste and it is utterly delicious.
Alright, now we need to take each of those dough balls and make them into a 6-inch (or so) circle.
Now place about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each.
THEN, dip your fingertips in water and run them around the edges to help them stick together.
Fold over and crimp edges lightly with a fork.
Preheat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet on medium-high for about five minutes.
Then turn it down to medium and carefully add your pies a few at a time, careful not to overcrowd.
Let them cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook until browned on the other as well.
This will just take a few minutes.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
Let cool slightly before eating.
Or add some powdered sugar over the top before you enjoy it. Or not, do whatever cranks your tractor!
Share with your friends!
Storage
Store leftover pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. I like to quickly reheat them either in the air fryer or oven so they’re nice and crispy once more.
Recipe Notes
- For a buttermilk crust, substitute the milk for buttermilk.
- For extra chocolate flavor, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the pie dough.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use canned biscuit dough?
You can make these with canned biscuit dough but they won’t be the same. will still be good in a pinch though. You can also make these simply by sticking a mini chocolate bar inside each one – but it won’t be the same, either. They will still be good in a pinch, though! Just do what you have time to do and put your heart into it. The most important step in cooking isn’t the ingredients you use or how intricate the preparation is, it’s the process of making something yummy for someone because you love them. That makes everything taste better.
How do you serve chocolate hand pies?
If you want to be extra decadent (I mean, who doesn’t?) chocolate fried pies taste delicious with a drizzle of chocolate syrup or caramel sauce. Or why not serve a with a dollop of or a scoop of vanilla ? YUM.
Check out these other tasty chocolate treats:
Recipe For Easy Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup milk more if needed
- vegetable oil for frying
Filling
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted 1 stick
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a long-tined fork. Add the milk and stir until the dough sticks together.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup milk
- Divide the dough into ten ball-shaped portions.
- In a separate bowl, stir together melted butter, cocoa powder, and sugar until it forms a paste.6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted, 2 cups sugar
- Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 inch in a large skillet and place over medium-high heat to preheat while you assemble pies.vegetable oil for frying
- On a floured surface, roll or pat each dough ball into a 6-inch circle. Place 2 tablespoons of chocolate filling in the center of each. Dip fingertips in water and run around the outside edges of the crust. Fold over and crimp with a fork to seal.
- After oil has heated for at least five minutes, reduce heat to medium. Carefully add a few pies at a time to hot oil and cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other.
- Remove to paper towel-lined plates and repeat until all pies are cooked. Cool slightly before serving and add a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.
Nutrition
Previous Pie Day Friday Posts
- May 31th – Frozen Turtle Pie
- June 7th – Strawberry Cream Pie
- June 13th – Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie
- June 21st – Frozen Oreo Pie
“Everyone has gifts, they just open them on different occasions.”
~Author unknown. Submitted by Jenny. Click here to submit your own.
The filling was horrible. Gritty texture. Would not recommend this recipie at all. The dough also had poor texture as well.
Different strokes for different folks! I dearly love the filling and the dough. Hope your day gets better from here 🙂
Love the gritty sugar filling! It’s a regional thing I suppose. I despise a pudding filling.
The gritty filling is what makes this! Just like my mom used to make.
I am so glad you liked them Peggy!!!
Same here. That is what I grew up on. My mom has Alzheimers now and lives with me but I sure wish I would have asked her alot of recipe before her memory was gone but thank god for Pinterest! I remember her putting a pat of butter on top of the paste though. I am fixing to try to make them. Wish me luck!
I love the filling. Tastes more homemade and chocolaty than a pudding would. I recommend 100%!
Could you use powdered sugar for the filling so it’s not gritty?
It is certainly worth a try. I believe I’d just cook the filling real low and slow, stirring constantly, to get the sugar dissolved. Might need to refrigerate after that for a bit. If you do use confectioner’s sugar it will thicken more as well so you may need to add a bit of butter (melted) or dab of milk to counter that. If you get in there and play around with it let us know how it turns out!
Agree, tried the recipe today, although good flavor, didn’t like the gritty texture.
That’s my favorite part, but then, I grew up with these. My grandmother made them, and my mom made them. We were so poor that I thought butter (from our cow) and sugar sandwiches were the norm. They were gritty too, of course.
I also like the gritty texture. There is a great bakery a town over and they make the gritty ones and the ones with chocolate pudding/custard. Trying these today.
the gritty texture was too much for me too but I called my mom and she said she always added an extra pad or two of butter onto the mixture before she folded it up. Also, I think I will not heat up to M/H next time. The crust got too dark too quick.
Going to go right into the kitchen and make these pies!
I hope you enjoy them Sharon!!
Do you think you could make them ahead and freeze them until ready to fry?
My sister made these Sunday and they may be one of the best desserts EVER!!! Birthday material! I love the gritty filling. Good Job!
I am so glad to hear that you liked them Jen!!
I wish you would include a Pinterest button so I could put it on my recipe site.
I have pinterest buttons on every single post. Hover over any photo and a pin button appears and there are also buttons at the bottom of the post after the recipe. Hope this helps and thanks!
I can not wait to try these! Thank you so much for ALL of your recipes! I have both of your cookbooks and have given them as gifts to daughter and sisters! Looking forward to the next one!
Thank you Brenda!!! The next book will be here before we know it!