Prepare to wow your guests with this restaurant-level Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart! Made with a salty peanut crust, luscious peanut butter mousse, and silky chocolate ganache. Top it off with a shower of crushed peanuts & flaky sea salt. It’s a salty-sweet lover’s dream dessert and it tastes like a giant, fancy peanut butter cup!
This recipe comes from my cookbook, “The One-Bowl Baker” out in February 2022. Pre-order info and more sneak-peaks of the book can be found here.
This dessert is SUCH a show-stopper and she’s perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are so many occasions to bring this dessert to. Let’s learn how to make it!
How to Make Salty Peanut Crust:
First, pulse your peanuts in a food processor to crush them. Then, stir them together with melted butter, a little sugar, flour, and a pinch of salt and baking powder. Press this mixture into a well-greased tart pan. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan, however, using a tart pan makes it MUCH easier to serve + slice the tart later on. Bake the crust for 9 minutes, and set it aside to cool.
How to Make the Creamy Peanut Butter Filling
In the same bowl- this is a one-bowl cookbook, after all, we’re going to combine the filling ingredients. You will probably want to give the bowl a quick wipe with a kitchen towel to remove any lingering crumbs, but beyond that, you don’t need to do anything else to the bowl.
Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form, then scrape the whipped cream back into the 1 or 2 -cup glass measuring cup you used to measure it out in. This is one of my tricks to keep this recipe from using more dishes than you need to! Then, in the same bowl, cream together your filling ingredients until you have a mixture that looks a bit like a crumbly cookie dough – like the below left photo. Next we’ll beat a little bit of the whipped cream in.
How to Fold Whipped Cream Into a Filling:
And then, we’ll fold the rest in until we’ve got a creamy peanut butter filling. Remember that the point of folding is to maintain all the air we whipped into the heavy cream – use a silicone spatula and scrape down to the bottom of the bowl, and then around over the top of the filling. Continue doing this, switching up your spatula angles/placement, until the whipped cream is all incorporated.
Spread this creamy dreamy filling into your baked and cooled crust, and pop it in the fridge to chill for a bit while you mix up the chocolate ganache topping.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache:
Making chocolate ganache is SO simple! Start by chopping your chocolate very finely (I could’ve gone even a bit smaller here). This will ensure that it all melts once you pour on the heavy cream. Add it to a mixing bowl.
Heat heavy cream on the stovetop until simmering, then pour it over the chopped chocolate and wait 5 minutes before stirring. You should have a nice, smooth ganache – if there are a few lumps left, simply microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until things smooth out.
Let the ganache cool at room temp a bit so that it’s a little thicker, then spread it on top of your tart. Now for the really fun part – decorating it! Add a flurry of crushed peanuts and flaky sea salt (the salt is best added after chilling) for a delicious and beautiful dessert.
Make-Ahead Tips:
Since this dessert does need about 6 hours in the fridge to properly chill and set up, it’s a wonderful make-ahead option. You can make it 1 to 2 days ahead.
And, since it takes just 9 minutes in the oven, it’s a great dessert to add to your Thanksgiving menu – your oven will soon be freed up for other pies and tarts! Plus, this adds variety to the traditional menu of pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies.
Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
Ingredients
For the Salted Peanut Crust
- 1½ cups peanuts (I use the lightly salted cocktail type.)
- 1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick, 8 tbsp or 113 grams)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Peanut Butter Filling
- 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature Use the full fat, block-style
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus an extra pinch
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
For Decorating
- salted peanuts, as desired
- flaky sea salt, as desired
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a round 9-inch tart pan or cake pan with nonstick spray. I like to use a tart pan here because the removable bottom makes it easier to cut and serve neat slices, but you can, of course, use a cake pan if that’s what you have!
- Make the Crust: Pulse the peanuts in a food processor just until they’re finely chopped. Don’t let it run too long or you’ll make peanut butter! Melt the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the crushed peanuts, flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Scrape the bowl really well to get all the crust bits out, and press the crust mixture evenly into and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake for 9 minutes. Set aside to cool completely while you make the filling.
- Make the Filling: Give the medium mixing bowl a quick wipe with a kitchen towel if there are still crust pieces in it. Measure the cold heavy cream into the bowl using a 1 or 2-cup glass measuring cup. Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high speed just until softly whipped—we’re not going for stiff peaks here. Pour the softly whipped cream back into the measuring cup you used to measure it. Pop this in the fridge while you finish making the filling. Add the cream cheese to the same bowl, and beat on high speed until creamed. Add the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and salt, and mix until well combined. Add about one-third (just eyeball it) of the whipped cream into the bowl with the filling, and mix until just combined. Add the rest of the whipped cream, and gently fold it in with a silicone spatula until it’s completely combined. If the crust is still cooling, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and pop in the fridge until the crust is cool. Spread the peanut butter filling into the cooled crust and smooth it out. Pop in the fridge while you make the ganache.
- Make the Chocolate Ganache: Add the chopped chocolate to a small bowl. Add the heavy cream to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate, and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, stir until everything is combined and smooth. If a few lumps of chocolate remain, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Let this cool for a few minutes more so it's a bit thicker and easier to spread, and then spoon it over the tart.
- Serve and Store: Let the tart chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. Serve with a sprinkle of peanuts and flaky sea salt. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
Notes
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Mary Ann says
This was relatively easy to make and so delicious! Definitely impressed my guests!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks, Mary Ann! 🙂
vicky says
A very simple, show stopper recipe! I’ve made this twice now, and it definitely won’t be the last!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much, Vicky!