Chocolate Nutella Pie

Elevate Readers! It's my favorite month of the year, in November we celebrate family, loved ones, gathering together and of course, FOOD! Obviously the best dessert at any Thanksgiving table is the pie.  It's a dessert that is very dear to us over at twocarolines.com, we make a lot of delicious things, but pie is what we are best known for and this is because we come from a rich family tradition of pie making, and eating....so much pie eating, I can't WAIT for Thanksgiving!  If you click on our pie category on twocarolines.com there are TWENTY ONE tried, tested, and guaranteed delicious pies.  We've posted so many that it's sometimes hard to figure out an awesome pie we haven't already made, but for now let's talk about Nutella Pie.

 I'm happy to say, this Chocolate Nutella Pie is not only a brand new pie, but it's an absolute game changer - at first taste it shot up to the top of my favorites list.  It's got such incredible chocolate flavor, with that mouth flooding bit of sourness that comes from the cream cheese in the filling and the rich dark chocolatey ganache layer just sends it over the top.

I went all out and topped my pie with toasted hazelnuts and homemade chocolate sauce, but you'll enjoy this pie plenty even without these little extras, so don't be freaked out when you look at this recipe with all it's ingredients and instructions - you can scrap half of those if you skip the toppings.

A fun bonus is that I made this with a chocolate pat in the pan crumb crust - so there's zero intimidation factor that can come with a traditional pie crust.  Crumb crusts are so easy and forgiving and they are begging to be messed with.

I often add nuts, oats, ancient grains, coconut or all manner of fun flavors and textures to my crumb crusts.  I used chocolate graham crackers for this one, but you could also use chocolate wafers or even graham crackers and have a delicious result.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and I strongly recommend a minimum of 1/2 pie per person so get baking party people!

Chocolate Nutella Pie Recipe

For the Crust:8 ounces chocolate grahams, chocolate wafers, or graham crackers2 tablespoons light brown sugar1/2 cup unsalted butter melted1/4 teaspoon coarse saltFor Ganache Layer:1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips1/3 cup heavy creamFor the Filling:1 1/2 cups Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread1 cup cold heavy cream8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese4 tablespoons powdered sugar1/4 teaspoon kosher saltChocolate Sauce:1 cup chopped dark chocolate (you can also use chocolate chips or semi-sweet if you want your sauce sweeter)3/4 cup miniature marshmallowsOne 5 ounce can evaporated milkToasted Hazelenuts:1/2 cup filberts3 tablespoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 400.  For the crust, put the grahams or wafers, sugar, and salt (plus anything else fun you want in your crust - mine has some oats which was delicious) into the food processor and once you've made fine crumbs add butter with food processor on low.  Press crumb mixture into the bottom of your pie plate.  A standard pie plate is fine, your pie will just be nice and high with a full round top.  I used a deep dish and it was great, left a little room on top for some whipped cream.  Any dish will work.  I often use a glove to make sure I really get my crust into the corners in an even layer without getting my hands too greasy.  Once you've pressed your crust into the pan, bake it at 400 for about 10 minutes.  Take out and let cool while you make your ganache and filling.
2. For the ganache, chop 1 cup of chocolate or use 1 cup chocolate chips.  I find it works best for this small amount if I heat the chocolate first on defrost in the microwave or for small increments so it's starting to loose it's shape.  Then heat your cream on the stove or in the microwave and pour hot cream over the chocolate.  Let sit for about 3-4 minutes then whisk until smooth.  Pour ganache into the bottom of your mostly cooled crust and put it in a cool place so it can set while you make your nutella filling.
3. Place softened cream cheese, Nutella, powdered sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth.  Slowly drizzle in the cold heavy cream, continuing to beat on medium speed.  When all the cream has been added turn the mixer up to high speed and and beat for just a few minutes until the mousse is nice and fluffy.  Transfer the filling into your pie pan into your prepared pie shell right on top of the ganache layer and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. To make the chocolate sauce put the chocolate, marshmallows and evaporated milk into a saucepan and melt over medium heat.  Once all is combined let cool and drizzle over your pie.  Refrigerate leftovers in a glass jar, it's wonderful on ice cream, cakes or any dessert that needs a drizzle of chocolate.
5. Toasting hazelnuts takes some time, but it's not difficult.  First preheat oven to 350.  You buy them with skin on as "filberts" - there are a few methods for getting the skin off of them.  My recommendation is to use the method in the video below with Julia Childs.  They put the filberts into a saucepan with a few cups of boiling water then add 3 tablespoons of baking soda, don't be alarmed when it bubbles up a bit.  Let them boil for about 3 minutes while you prepare an icy cold bath for them to put in when you're done.  Once they've been in the cold water for just a minute the skins are easy to peel off.  Pat them dry and put them on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for about 12-15 minutes until they are fragrant and brown.  Once they've cooled chop them up and sprinkle on your pie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6ije1-i9YY

Hope this Nutella Pie is a star at your Thanksgiving table this year!

Recipe adapted from Baking a Moment Nutella Pie and chocolate sauce from Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies