Chocolate Crescent Pockets

In celebration of Valentine's Day Food Network put on an hour long special consisting of chefs preparing their favorite chocolate dish.  Now I will be the first to admit that Paula Deen's recipes always look delicious and I would be willing to put money on that fact that they taste better than they look, but her recipes are always chock full of butter and shortening and things that I try to use minimally.  So typically when I bake something of Paula Deen's I tend to start by cutting the butter in half.  On this show, however Paula wrapped mini chocolate bars and Hershey Kisses inside puff pastry sealed it up brushed it with a bit of egg wash and baked them in the oven until they were pockets of gooey amazing chocolate goodness.  She then paired them with homemade chocolate ganache and fresh whipped cream.  AMAZING. My husband and I were drooling at the TV so I decided that since he was taking the reigns this Valentine's Day for dinner I would take charge of dessert.

I decided to change up the recipe a bit (something I am always guilty of) and swapped out the puff pastry for crescent rolls and added some Nutella to the mix, after all Nutella makes everything taste better!


Chocolate Crescent Pockets
Yield: 4 Pockets
Prep Time: 15 Minutes      |      Bake Time: 10 Minutes

For the Pockets:

• 1 package of crescent rolls (I used Trader Joe's brand)
• 1 full sized candy bar (I used a Caramello bar, but you use your favorite candy Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, etc)
• 1/4 cup Nutella or similar chocolate hazelnut spread

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chips work great!)
• 1 tbs half and half

1.  Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing a baking sheet.

2.  You will be using 2 crescents for one pocket. When unrolling the crescents break them into 4 pieces rather than the typical 8 pieces so you end up with 4 square pieces.

3.  Place a tablespoon of Nutella in the center of each sqaure.

4.  Cut each chocolate bar into 4 pieces and place 2 pieces on each side of the Nutella.

5.  Gather the ends of two opposite corners of the sqaure together to form a closure and then do the same with the other two corners. Twist the four corners slightly to give it a "purse" look and then pinch them together so they remain closed.  Repeat with the remaining 3 pockets.

6.  Place all 4 pockets on the baking sheet and put into the oven.  When they are finished they should be golden brown and slightly firm.  The chocolate may ooze out of them a bit, but dont worry that's just part of the fun!

To make the ganache place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and add the half and half to it.  Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring frequently.  The ganache is ready when the chocolate is nice and smooth and shiny.  Pour over the top of the pockets after plating them and serve with some ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe adapted from: Paula Deen's Chocolate Bundles