These flaky, sweet, and decadent chocolate cardamom pocket pies (AKA “pop tarts”) are a dark chocolate-lovers dream. Not to mention the addition of that cardamom glaze spooned overtop. If you’re in need of an ambitious, yet incredibly rewarding bake one weekend—this is it!
Let’s bake, friends.
This recipe is sponsored by Endangered Species Chocolate.
Some Materials You’ll Need:
- 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 Chocolate 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!
- Lightly whisk an egg for an egg wash in a small bowl.
- Brush the outside edge of half of your rectangles with the egg wash.
- Fill the middles of those halves with 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of the chocolate filling.
- Place the other half of your rectangles on top, gently pressing down around the edges with your fingers to seal them.
- 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).
- Chill these in the fridge for 30 minutes before brushing generously with the egg wash and sprinkling with turbinado/demerara sugar.
- 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).
Dark Chocolate from “Endangered Species Chocolate”
I teamed up with my buddies over at Endangered Species Chocolate again for this one! This time I used their “Strong + Velvety Dark Chocolate” bar—a dark chocolate DREAM. Full-bodied, decadent, delish.
All of their products are: fairtrade, gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher. A majority them being vegan as well! What’s great is that they also donate 10% of their profits to global organizations making a positive impact on species and habitats around the world. Count me in!
Learn more about their amazing mission on their website! Check out all of their chocolate varieties here and where to buy some for these chocolate cardamom pocket pies.
Also check out my fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting I did for them too!
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!
Tag me @joshisbaking over on Instagram if you make these flaky pastries, friends! I know a recipe like this can be quite the commitment, but I find it so therapeutic. Making the dough, rolling it out, assembling each “pop tart”—it’s super rewarding to have such a robust bake at the end of the process.
YOU CAN DO IT. I promise! Be sure to drop any questions below (or DM me over on Instagram too).
Happy baking!
Check out my most recent recipes:
- Roasted Crispy Rice Treats Dipped in Chocolate Frosting
- Giant Chocolate Blueberry Pop Tart
- Baked Churro Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Cardamom Pocket Pies
- Prep Time: 30 Min.
- Chill Time: 2-3 hours
- Cook Time: 25 Min.
- Total Time: ~4 Hours (with Chill Time)
- Yield: 6 Large Pocket Pies 1x
Description
Flaky sweet pastry filled with a dark chocolate and cardamom filling.
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
Chocolate Cardamom Filling
- 6 oz. dark chocolate, 88% cocoa (170g)—Two Endangered Species Chocolate Bars
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (160g)
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Cardamom Glaze
- 2 1/2 cups powered sugar, sifted (~250g)
- 4–5 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Place your butter in the freezer to keep cold before using (cut into small cubes if not done so already). Sift your flour and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add your salt. Mix together on low for about 30 seconds to combine.
- Add in your cold cubes of butter, toss in the flour mixture to coat each piece, and then either flatten each piece between your fingers or beat with the mixer on low to medium-low (careful of flying flour) until the butter resembles coarse crumbs (mix of big flat pieces + small pea-sized ones). Beat in two eggs, one at a time, on medium speed until fully incorporated. Mix until the dough holds together, careful not to over-mix. Form into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and 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.
Chocolate Cardamom Filling
- While the dough chills, make the filling! Chop up your dark chocolate bars into small chunks/pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Set aside. Pour your heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan, add in the ground cardamom, and whisk together to combine. Heat over medium heat until simmering (not boiling, shouldn’t take long).
- Gently pour the simmering mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let rest for 3 minutes and then gently, slowly whisk the two together until smooth and the chocolate has just melted (see notes below on why you need to let it rest and whisk slowly). Set aside to cool down and thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour (you want it thicker, but still easy to spread).
(See notes below if your filling hardens too quickly).
Assembling & Baking
- Prep a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface until ~1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as you go along to avoid sticking. Cut out as many 4×5 inch rectangles as you can (I can usually get about 8), then combine the scraps of dough to roll out again (adding more flour as needed) until you have 12 rectangles in total. Place on your baking sheet and chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Lightly whisk your last egg in a small bowl for an egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the edge of half your rectangles. Scoop 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of filling into the middle, spreading into an even layer with a spoon or offset spatula. Place the other halves of your rectangles overtop those, pressing down around the edges to seal them. Crimp the edges with a fork and poke a few rows of holes in the tops of each (allows steam to escape).
- Chill for another 30 minutes in the fridge (or 15 minutes in the freezer) while you preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Once chilled, brush the tops generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado/demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until nice and dark. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a separate rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, make the glaze. Sift your powdered sugar into a small bowl, add in your whole milk by the tablespoon until desired consistency (more milk = thinner, more powdered sugar = thicker). Whisk in the ground cardamom and then spoon the glaze over your pop tarts.
These are best enjoyed same-day, but will keep at room temperate for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container (they will lose some of their initial crunch).
Notes
- If your mixture hardens too quickly before you’re able to use it: heat in 5 second increments in the microwave to soften and slowly mix until smooth again using a spatula or whisk.
- For the dough: if your dough or pocket pies ever get too flimsy or sticky to work with, just pop them into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm back up. You want your butter to be as cold as possible anyways (which is why you chill everything before baking)—that cold butter releases steam during the bake, puffing up the dough to create flaky layers.
- Make the dough ahead of time: if you’re crunched on time or want to split the process up—make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days! That way you’re not tackling everything in one day. Make the dough on a Saturday and then assemble/bake everything on a Sunday!
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