Chocolate PB Ganache Pie

“Uh oh.”

That’s what I said when I took the frozen peanut butter cookie crust out of the freezer, let it thaw in its foil wrapping, and then realized when I opened it up and was about to spread the ganache over top of it that it wasn’t a peanut butter cookie crust at all.

It was a chocolate chip cookie crust.
(Which in itself would be something to celebrate… but not when you’re preparing a dessert for people who have a thing for peanut butter.)

So what’s a baker to do?

Add a layer of peanut butter between the cookie crust and the ganache, naturally, and end up with an even better dessert than you initially imagined.

Serendipity. Gotta love it. :)

Adapted from my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe…

COOKIE DOUGH:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake/pastry flour

1 2/3 cup bread flour*

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds (or 2 1/2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

3/4 cup peanut butter (for PB layer- not in cookie dough!)

GANACHE LAYER:

1 cup whipping/heavy cream

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanuts, chopped (for garnish)
1. COOKIE DOUGH:
  1. In a medium bowl, sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined (5 – 10 seconds).
  4. Drop chocolate chips/pieces in and mix until just combined.
  5. Spread layer of dough onto bottom of tart pan or pie plate (dough should only come up 1/3 – 1/2 way up side of tart pan, and 1/3 way up side of pie plate), and wrap top with plastic wrap. You will have leftover dough. Yay!
  6. Refrigerate for 24 – 36 hours. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours or frozen & thawed in the fridge for use at a later time).
  7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Bake until golden brown but still soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
2. GANACHE:
  1. Place chocolate in a large, heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat until just about to boil, then pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Spread PB over top of cooled cookie crust, then spread ganache over top. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over top and allow to cool in fridge for about 1 ½ – 2 hours to firm up.
Tips:
- More cookie tips? Check out the original post.
- *Two kinds of flour. Annoying, I know. (Jacques Torres, the famous pastry dude, came up with this recipe, and he knows a thing about desserts). I’m pretty sure that all-purpose flour will work just fine. If you skip the pastry flour and use all-purpose for the whole thing, try using two less tablespoons in total.
- The ganache… don’t be alarmed that it will be quite runny while it’s still warm- it WILL set. And you can use dark chocolate or semi sweet or bittersweet- whatever you’d like.
- This dessert will freeze but I’d recommend eating it fresh, as ganache is meant to be devoured asap. Won’t be a problem.
- Keep chilled in the fridge but serve closer to room temperature. So pull it out about 20 – 30 minutes before you want to eat it.
- Enjoy!
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April 13th, 2015 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Pies