Fried Chocolate Pudding Hand Pies

Oh yeah.....you read right.....fried....chocolate.......pudding.....pies!! Who knew such things could be made and perfected in the comfort of your own home?? I mean you gain 5lbs reading the name of it.....can you imagine how many you gain by eating it?? Well I decided that it was mission to find out exactly how bad they were for you and if you could indeed inflate your size from eating them! Afterall, it's the start of Spring Break and a girl has gotta do something to get her through it with her 2 crazy boys!! (Okay so we all know that I would eat/make/try these any time of the year but putting it in conjunction with Spring Break kinda makes me feel a little better about my glutonous behavior!)

So what are in these delicious little pockets from heaven??

2c half-n-half
8oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used morsels)
1/2c granulated sugar
1/4c cornstarch
2T butter
2c all purpose flour
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
6T shortening, at room temp
1 large egg, plus 1 beaten large egg white
5T ice water
vegetable oil for frying

In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine half-n-half, chocolate, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring just to a boil over medium heat and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly, then press plastic wrap onto the surface to cover. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, mix in the shortening until coarse crumbs form. In a small bowl, beat together the whole egg and ice water. Stir into the flour mixture with a fork until the dough comes together. Divide into 6 balls.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 6in wide disk. Brush a 1/2inch border of the beaten egg white around each rim. Spoon 1/3c of the chilled pudding in the center of each disk, spreading slightly. Fold the dough over the filling to cover, press the edges to seal, them crimp with a fork. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to fry.

In a deep heavy 9-10inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 on a deep fry thermometer. Add 2 pies at a time and fry, turning 2-3 times until deep golden, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes then dust with confectioners sugar.

My oh my how wonderful they were. Don't you just wanna grab it off your computer screen and shovel it into your mouth as fast as you can?? I know it was hard for us to wait the 15 minutes before eating them! But I will tell you this....if you eat them too soon, the warm chocolate pudding will come squirting out of your pie shell and all over your face and even clothes!! I had it dripping off my chin at one point! But it was totally worth it! I believe even Alex thought so too.

These are not the last of the chocolate hand pies......there are still 2 more left in my fridge crying to be joined with their friends in our bellies. And I, being the thoughtful caring person I am, am going to oblige them their wish and let them join the other pies in my now overly full but completely happy belly!!