Cherry Cocoa Pie with Chocolate Pastry Crust

Prep Time: 40 mins | Cook Time: 57 mins | Course: Dessert | Servings: 8

Tart cherry pie with 2 kinds of cherries; infused with cocoa, lemon zest and cinnamon in a chocolate pastry crust. Allow about a half hour for the pastry to chill while making the filling. It’ll make rolling the pastry much easier. Top pie with whipped cocoa cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. Inspired by Connie at Urban Bakes https://www.urbanbakes.com/bourbon-cherry-chocolate-galette/  

Chocolate Pastry Crust:

2 cups flour

¼ cup cocoa

5 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

12 Tbsp butter, cut into Tbsp size slices

1 Tbsp cold water

1 Tbsp cocoa liqueur, or apple cider vinegar

9” or 10” pie plate

Preheat oven to 400*. Layer flour, cocoa, brown sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to distribute. Add butter slices and pulse to coarse crumbs. Add in water and liqueur or ACV and pulse until the dough just comes together. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap, pat into a disc  and chill the wrapped dough for 30 minutes. Roll on a piece of floured parchment until just larger than your pie dish. Transfer the dough to the pie plate and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour in the par-cooked cherry filling. Finish baking for 35-45 minutes. You may wish to place a rimmed baking dish on the next rack to catch any drips. Cherries will be bubbly around the edges and the pie juices will have thickened. Allow to cool and top with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Cherry Cocoa Pie:

2 lbs tart cherries, pitted

1 cup dried cherries

½ cup cocoa liquor (or cherry juice with 1 Tbsp cocoa mixed in)

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup instant tapioca 

2 Tbsp bourbon (or cherry juice)

1 Tbsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste

1 lemon, zested

½ tsp cinnamon

Rehydrate the dried cherries  in a flat bottomed rimmed dish in the cocoa liquor or cherry cocoa juice for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pit the cherries. Along with any accumulated juices to the cherries, add in the brown sugar, tapioca, bourbon or if not using add cherry juice, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon. Stir in with the dried cherries and any juices. Transfer to a medium sized saucepan and par-cook for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour into the par-baked chocolate pastry shell and finish baking for 35-45 minutes. Cherries will be bubbly around the edges and the pie juices will have thickened. Allow to cool and top with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Whipped Cocoa Cream:

1 cup cream

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa liqueur, optional

1 Tbsp cocoa, for dusting