Chocolate Peanut Tarts Recipes

PEANUT, CARAMEL, AND CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the chocolate crust: Combine cookie crumbs, granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stir in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 2 1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake until dry and firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Make the caramel sauce: Heat granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until medium amber, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will bubble and steam). Return to heat, and bring to a boil, making sure caramel that seized up when cream was added melts. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in creme fraiche. Refrigerate until cool but still pourable, about 45 minutes. Fold in peanuts.
• Meanwhile, make the peanut butter mousse: Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add peanut butter and vanilla, and beat until combined. Whisk heavy cream in a separate bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream in 2 additions.
• Assemble the tart: Pour caramel sauce into cooled chocolate crust. Gently spread peanut butter mousse over caramel in an even layer, making sure they don't blend together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Make the chocolate ganache: Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate, and let stand for 1 minute. Whisk to combine. (Use immediately.)
• Remove tart from refrigerator, and pour in ganache to cover surface. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine butter and peanut butter. In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder; cover and process until blended. Add butter mixture; cover and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs., While processing, gradually add water and vanilla just until moist crumbs form. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of six ungreased 4-in. fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over the bottoms of crusts. Refrigerate., In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Spread into crusts., For topping, in a microwave, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over tarts. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and peanuts over tops. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Whisk flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with cream and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Shape dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before rolling.
• Roll out dough into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Fit into a 4 1/2-by-14-inch rectangular tart ring on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Push dough into corners of ring to create sharp edges; trim so that dough is flush with top of ring. Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line crust with parchment, pressing so that it is flush with dough, especially in corners. Fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake until edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Make the brittle: Bring sugar, butter, corn syrup, and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to brown. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until golden brown. Stir in baking soda, salt, and peanuts until well combined (mixture should be the color of peanut butter). Immediately pour onto a nonstick baking mat, spreading out as thinly as possible with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Finely chop half the brittle with a heavy knife to yield 1/2 cup. Reserve remainder for another use.
• Make the filling: Heat peanut butter in a microwave until fluid, about 30 seconds. Pour 1/2 cup into crust, and top with chopped brittle, pressing it into peanut butter. Freeze tart until peanut butter is firm, about 10 minutes. For ganache, bring cream to a boil; pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Add salt; let sit 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a disposable pastry bag with remaining fluid peanut butter (if peanut butter has thickened, microwave it 10 seconds), and snip off end. Whisk ganache until smooth, and immediately pour into tart, smoothing with a mini offset spatula if necessary. Pipe peanut butter in continuous diagonal zigzag lines down length of tart. Draw a wooden skewer perpendicularly through peanut butter lines in a zigzag motion down length of tart. Then draw skewer in a continuous sideways loop pattern down length of tart to create swirls.
• Refrigerate tart until set, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Cut into wedges, and serve.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• In a food processor, place the wafers, peanut butter chips and sugar; cover and process until finely crushed. Stir in melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes., For filling, in a large bowl, beat peanut butter, butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour into crust. Refrigerate while making ganache., Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, sugar and corn syrup just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until melted and smooth. Pour over filling. Sprinkle with peanuts. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.