Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

I finally found time to do some baking this week. Past few days I was coaching my children for their SA2 (mid-year exams). I'm relieved exams are over already. Like what Happy Home Baking said, with school-going children, we can't even enjoy the Labour Day and Polling Day holidays!

The other day, Cathy asked if I submitted any entries for the Aspiring Bakers for April. I told her I didn't manage to because for that month, my cheese bakes didn't turn out well! So I decided not to embarrass myself by submitting something that didn't work for me. She has submitted quite a few entries for the theme this month, and encouraged me to do so too! So I thought it's time to catch up with this event. I figured the simplest theme should be chocolate already!

So here I am, fulfilling my own challenge. I have decided to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts. I got the idea from Crustabakes. She makes really yummy desserts! Just by looking at the desserts make one drool! I modified her recipe and used my own tart recipe. My children loves the tartlets so much they just pop one after another into their mouth until I had to stop them in case they got overdosed! This is really worth a try!

I'm submitted this to Aspiring Bakers #7 – Chocolate Delight (May 2011).

Recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart, modified from Crustabakes.
(Makes a 9" tart. As I have spare tart dough, I made extra mini tartlets)

Sweet Cookie Tart Crust

Ingredients:
113g Unsalted butter, cubed
30g Caster sugar
200g Plain flour
1/8tsp Salt
19g Egg yolk
28g Heavy cream

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.
2. With a scraper, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. In a separate small bowl, stir together the yolk and cream.
4. Mix it into the flour mixture until the dough comes together and can be formed into a ball.
5. Flatten it into a disc, wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 30mins until firm enough.
6. Roll it out and transfer the dough into a pie pan.
7. Bake at 200C for 20 mins, or until light brown.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
100g Semi sweet chocolate, chopped (I use 72% Valrhona chocolate mixed with bittersweet chocolate)
80g Whipping cream


Method:

1. Place the chopped chocolates in a heat-proof bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat up the whipping cream. Before it boils, turn off the heat and pour into the chocolate.
3. Let it rest for 1 minute before mixing them together.
4. Ensure that all chocolates are thoroughly melted and mixed.
5. Leave aside to cool.

Peanut Butter Mousse

Ingredients:
65g Cream cheese
170g Creamy peanut butter
20g Fine sugar
180g Whipping cream

Method:

1. Lightly whipped the whipping cream. Leave aside
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar until thoroughly mix.
3. Beat in 1/4 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Mix till just incorporate.
4. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream until they mixture is well blended, but still airy.
5. Scrape the mousse into the tart crust and smooth the surface so that it is level.
6. Pour the chocolate ganache over the peanut butter mousse slowly. Thickness depends on individual preference.
7. Take care not to pour too much on a single spot as it might cause a depression in the mousse.
8. Using a spatula, gently spread it across the tart and even out.
9. Refrigerate until ready to eat.