My obsession with cherries and chocolate continues…. mainly because fresh cherries were even cheaper and more delicious this week than they’ve been in previous weeks, so I just had to figure out yet another fun cherry treat. The only thing better than cherries and chocolate is cherries and chocolate in a pie crust, and these little “pie balls” have got it all.
A fancier name for these luscious flavor orbs would be “Pastry-Wrapped Chocolate-Stuffed Cherries” but I think “Cherry-Chocolate Pie Balls” is more fun to say! They taste fabulous no matter what you call them – the layers of flavor and texture from the flaky crust, juicy cherry, and yummy chocolate is almost too wonderful to describe. You’ll just have to taste it for yourself. And with only three ingredients, these little beauties are a cinch to make, too!
Cherry-Chocolate Pie Balls
I use my trusty cherry and olive pitter to pit my cherries. It works great and is fun to use. One-third of a sheet of puff pastry makes 6 pie balls. You can make as many or few of them at a time as you wish – (1 cherry and 3 chocolate chips per ball). This recipe makes an even dozen, but I’ve actually only been making them six at a time because they’re best when eaten fresh out of the oven (after cooling for a few minutes). Recipe by Robin Robertson © 2012.
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, thawed
12 fresh ripe cherries, pitted and blotted dry
36 semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit a baking sheet and set aside.
Unfold the sheet of puff pasty (it is fold in thirds). Cut the pastry along the folds to make three strips. Wrap one of the strips tightly and return to the refrigerator or freezer (or use it to make 6 additional pie balls). On a flat surface, cut each of the two strips into 6 equal pieces.
Carefully stuff each cherry with 3 chocolate chips. Wrap one piece of pastry around the stuffed cherry, carefully pinching any seams closed to seal the cherry inside the pastry. Gently roll the ball in between your hands to smooth it. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Bake until nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. These are best served while still warm.
Makes 12
Here’s another photo of the pie balls served with a scoop of my Cherry-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and a few fresh cherries. Such a fun dessert!
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{ 19 comments… add one }
wow, wow, and WOW!! i’ll take 3 please! they sounds absolutely amazing!
Caralyn, They really ARE amazing. And easy. AND addictive! 😉
I did not think I could love and admire you and your recipes more, and then you brought me Cherry Chocolate Pie Balls. I now have a mission for the weekend. Thank you!
Oh Madeliene, what a sweet thing to say. Thank you!!! (I think you’re going to LOVE these little pie balls!)
I get such a kick out of your posts. You are so creative and the food always looks so good. You’ve outdone yourself here! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Karen. I appreciate your kind words.
sometimes i need just A LITTLE something sweet, and this looks like the perfect amount! thanks for the wonderful recipe- i’ll definitely be trying this one out 🙂
Erin, I totally agree. That’s one of the reasons I came up with this idea. WIth just the two of us, I hate to make a big pie or cake, but sometimes we just want “a bite or two” — and now we can have it!
Cherries are the best right now! Thanks for the super easy and delicious looking recipe!
Cherries are really good this year, aren’t they Lauren? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. I’ve made these three times already!
must make these pronto! <3 the simple concept and yummy factor!
Kendy, these little pie balls really do have it all — easy and totally yummy. Hope you enjoy!
I admit I saw the $12.99 cherry/olive pitter at bed bath and beyond recently, but didn’t purchase it simply because I felt it was a kitchen tool I might not get a lot of use out of. for your recent “ice cream” recipe, it was easy to carefully slice the cherries in half, and use one side of my melon-ball scooper that has tiny teeth on it, to carefully pop the pit out.
that being said, for this recipe, is it crucial that the cherries remain whole yet pit-less so that the chocolate chips can be safely tucked in side? otherwise perhaps the chips will just get too melty and messy if they aren’t tucked inside the cherries?
and i agree with what everyone else above has said, your recipes are fantastic! i do have 2 of your cookbooks, with a 3rd on its way to me, but i do need to make some time to start poking around the archives on your blog 😉
Bethie, I use my cherry/olive pitter all the time. We’re olive fanatics (as well as cherry fans!) so I get a lot of use out of the gadget. For the pie balls, it’s important to have mostly dry surface inside the crust so the pastry remains crisp and the balls don’t “leak” too much. They may leak a bit from the melted chocolate anyway, but as long as the cherry remains whole, there very little juice spilling out. I recommend using the pitter to easily remove the cherry pits, leaving a clean opening for the chocolate chips. Check around for prices – you may find one cheaper.
Why not make these little wonders with Rainier cherries and white chocolate chips? That way one has two versions to promote addiction. Wonder how a thawed frozen cherry would work . . . .
Ann, you could certainly use Rainier cherries and white chocolate. However, I don’t think frozen cherries would work well for this because they’re too “wet” — part of what makes this work so well is how the fresh cherries stay firm so the pastry remains crisp.
Could you say a little more about how much puff pastry to use? I’m gluten-free, so I’ll need to make my own from scratch in order to try this recipe, and I have no idea how much puff pastry a sheet is.
Thanks!!
This recipe looks awesome, so I am very much looking forward to trying it!
Valerie, For each cherry you need just enough pastry to completely enclose it. The pastry I’ve used has a lot of “stretch” and it’s most convenient to cut it into pieces that are about 2-inches x 3-inches. If you’re rolling out your own pastry, you could cut each piece into about a 3-inch square, set the stuffed cherry in the center, and then bring up the pastry from all sides to enclose the cherry, pinching the pastry to seal it well.
That is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!