The 12 Days of Christmas: Decadent Chocolate Apple Pie
This is really a curve ball for me because I don't eat too much sugar so chocolate is always a little too sweet for me. I don't make too many chocolate-y recipes because my family doesn't eat much either, but I had a couple extra pie crusts laying around, a few uneaten apples left from Thanksgiving and I had a real craving for something rich and decadent. I am no prude when it comes to trying new things, but my husband seems to be on the opposite side of this spectrum. When I announced the idea, he seemed a little off-put but he decided to give it a try. The key to making this a successful recipe was that I added just enough not to over-power the pie and still leave a rich and filling taste.
What a success!
I toned down the tartness of the apples with a hint of rich holiday magic: molasses and chocolate syrup. Because the two of those are such flavorful and sweet ingredients, I didn't need to add much sugar and brought out some of the flavors with a splash of lemon juice. Weird you may think? However, I see this recipe just as adding a cup of piping hot coffee to a chocolate cake. You don't necessarily taste the coffee so much but it makes for an extremely flavorful and moist chocolate cake.
Something I've learned about making apple pie is not to use an apple slicer. You waste more of the apple that way and if you miss your core, you will be scraping out seeds or eating hard chunks of apple. After peeling and washing each apple, slice each side off until you can see your core. You can then slice all remaining and usable apple and set it aside. When your slices have been made, dice into 1-inch cubes so it is easier to bake and more manageable to eat. There is nothing worse than taking a perfect bite of apple pie and having an extra long apple slice smack you in the mouth while trying to eat presentably. Cutting the apple slices into smaller portions seems like a better route for a more put-together pie.
The best way to bring out the flavors is to warm each slice of pie you serve for about 10 seconds in the microwave and serve with a plentiful scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. If you are feeling really exotic you can even sprinkle a light dusting of ground cinnamon over top and bon apetit!
Decadent Chocolate Apple Pie2 Pie Crusts, Room Temperature
3 Large Gala Apples, Peeled, Sliced and Cubed
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Water
Cocoa Powder
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When pie crusts are at room temperature, roll out on dough and place it evenly in the center of an oven-safe pie dish. Press dough against sides and drape remaining dough along the top of the dish. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl add cubed apples. Drizzle with melted butter, chocolate syrup, molasses and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Gently toss by spinning the bowl in a circular motion. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Gently stir with a silicon spatula until all ingredients are folded into a thoroughly coated chocolate sauce. Scrape apple contents into pie dish and spread until even. Cover with second raw pie crust and press the sides together with bottom layer until entire pie is sealed in dough. Sprinkle a couple drops of water to the top of crust. Add a small dusting of cocoa powder and cinnamon. Make three small slits in the top of the pie to relieve air while baking. Place into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce to 300 degrees and finish baking for a remainder of 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 30 minutes before serving. 
(About 12 Servings)
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