Chocolate Mud Pie With Hazelnuts

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons sifted cocoa powder
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons frangelico or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325.
• 2 lightly grease a 10.
• 3 5" glass or ceramic pie plate and set aside.
• 4 put hazelnuts in a skillet over medium heat.
• 5 toast 4 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.
• 6 set aside to cool slightly, then chop finely.
• 7 measure 1/3 cup for filling and 1/2 cup for icing; set aside.
• 8 for the filling: sift together flour, cocoa, salt and nutmeg; set aside.
• 9 cream butter and granulated sugar until light in color in large mixing bowl, two to three minutes.
• 10 add eggs, one at a time at 30 second intervals.
• 11 on low speed, add frangelico or vanilla, then dry ingredients.
• 12 mix only until blended.
• 13 stir cherries and 1/3 cup hazelnuts into batter.
• 14 scoop into pie plate and smooth top with back of a spoon.
• 15 bake 25 minutes.
• 16 the center of the pie will be a little shiny and a toothpick inserted in the center should still be slightly moist.
• 17 set on a cooling rack.
• 18 for icing: melt butter over low heat in heavy 2-quart saucepan.
• 19 remove from heat and blend in cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, condensed milk and corn syrup.
• 20 mix as much as possible.
• 21 place back on low heat and stir constantly until icing becomes shiny and thin enough to spread.
• 22 remove from heat and stir in frangelico and 1/4 cup of hazelnuts.
• 23 spread warm over still-warm pie.
• 24 sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup hazelnuts around edge.
• 25 serve slightly warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice ream or slightly whipped whipped cream, if desired.