These pies! Oh my goodness. I saw this recipe in the December 2025 Southern Living and decided I would make it as the finale to our New Year’s Eve dinner extravaganza! That dinner consisted of Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Roast, Awesome Au Gratin Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Blue Cheese and Bacon Bits and I also made homemade Sourdough Dinner Rolls.
As you can see, I had my hands full and a late start to the dinner as we had to search the land, far and wide, for a whole beef tenderloin (poor planning on my part). Our local meat market didn’t have any (I assumed they would) so we headed to Ingles who had several to choose from. Score!! We have now decided buying a whole tenderloin and cutting it into filets is the most cost effective way to do it. We probably ended up with about 10 filets out of the 4 and a half pound tenderloin and at a substantial savings as compared to purchasing them already cut. Score again!!
So, back to the mini pies, from what I’ve already said you can guess I didn’t have time to make them before or after everything else. In fact, I didn’t have time to make them until yesterday. But my goodness, the wait was so worth it. I had one right before bed (I know, I know), but I couldn’t wait another day.
They are rich, delicious, and the perfect ending to a perfect meal. Or just as they are. You don’t even have to have a meal beforehand! Just top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a few chocolate shavings and you have a beautiful mini dessert full of flavor! Try them for your next special dinner (Valentine’s Day is coming up) or just to try them for your special man or family. You won’t be disappointed!
Mini Chocolate Pies
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini pies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 (14.1-oz.) pkg. refrigerated piecrusts, thawed
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 tsp. fine instant espresso granules (optional)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate
- 3 Tbsp. butter, cubed
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Shaved semisweet chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll piecrusts on a lightly floured work surface; cut into 8 circles using a 4 1/2-inch cutter. Reroll scraps; cut 4 more circles. Discard leftover scraps.
- Place dough circles in the wells of a 12-cup muffin tray, pressing into bottoms and up sides, pleating edges as needed. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
- Place paper liners in wells; fill each to the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are set, 10 minutes. Remove liners and weights; bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes in tray on a wire rack.
- Heat half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium-low, whisking often, until steaming, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir together egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and espresso granules (if using) in a medium bowl until well combined. Whisking constantly, gradually add warm half-and-half to egg yolk mixture until well combined.
- Transfer egg mixture to saucepan; cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low until thickened and bubbles break the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped semisweet chocolate, butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Spoon chocolate mixture into prepared crusts in muffin tray (about 2 tablespoons per crust). Cover and refrigerate until set, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate just before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Dessert
