Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
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All the flavor of a Reese’s peanut butter cup—only fancier. This chocolate peanut butter tart comes together with minimal effort but feels special.
Whenever I need a decadent, crowd-pleasing dessert, I turn to this quick-bake chocolate peanut butter tart, adapted from Food & Wine. With a chocolate wafer crust, creamy peanut butter center, and silky ganache topping, it’s like a fancier Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It needs a few hours in the fridge to set up, and you can even make it a day ahead—just cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
To get the pretty fluted edges, you’ll need a tart pan with a removable bottom, which you can find at any kitchen store or online (my local hardware store even sells them). If you don’t have one, you can also use a springform pan.
“You knocked it out of the park. My husband and son both say that this is the BEST DESSERT EVER!”
What you’ll need to make a chocolate peanut butter tart
- Crust (semisweet chocolate, butter & cookie crumbs): Melted chocolate and butter bind the crumbs and add richness, while the cookie base—whether Oreo baking crumbs or Oreo thins—provides deep cocoa flavor and a crisp, chocolatey foundation for the filling.
- Filling (cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, vanilla & heavy cream): The filling gets its rich, creamy texture from the cream cheese and peanut butter, while sugar sweetens the mix and vanilla adds depth. Cold whipped cream lightens it all into a mousse-like consistency.
- Topping (semisweet chocolate, heavy cream & roasted peanuts): Cream and chocolate combine into a smooth ganache that sets into a glossy top layer, while chopped salted peanuts add crunch and classic peanut butter pie flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Make and bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir until melted (microwave again for 20 to 30 seconds if needed). Stir in the cookie crumbs until evenly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake the tart shell for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.
Pro Tip: A flat-bottomed measuring cup is your best friend for pressing crumb crusts—press firmly so it holds together, but don’t compact it into concrete; you want it set yet still tender when sliced.
Step 2. Make the peanut butter filling. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Beat in a third of the whipped cream to lighten the peanut butter mixture, then gently fold in the rest with a spatula until light and mousse-like. (Use wide, sweeping motions so the filling stays airy.)
Pro Tip: Make sure your cream cheese is fully softened before mixing—cold cream cheese can cause a lumpy filling.
Step 3. Fill and chill. Spoon the peanut butter filling into the cooled crust and smooth the surface. Refrigerate, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
Pro Tip: An offset spatula works well for smoothing out the top (if you don’t have one, the back of a large spoon works nicely too). Having a smooth top will make it easier to spread the chocolate layer.
Step 4. Make the chocolate topping. After the pie has cooled, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave in 20-second bursts until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir until smooth, then let cool until just warm, stirring occasionally. (You want the mixture warm enough to pour, but not hot enough to melt the peanut layer; when you can comfortably touch the bottom of the bowl, it’s ready.) Spread the chocolate over the chilled peanut butter layer.
Step 6. Finish and serve. Sprinkle chopped peanuts around the edges of the tart. Chill uncovered for 3 more hours. To serve, carefully remove the tart ring by pressing up on the bottom while holding the rim in place. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping clean between cuts. Grab a fork and enjoy!
The tart can be made up to a day ahead and stored in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap or foil.
More Sweet Ways to Combine Chocolate and Peanut Butter
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (best quality, such as Ghirardelli)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 2 cups cookie crumbs from Oreo baking crumbs, Dewey’s Brownie Crisp Cookies, or Oreo Thins (no need to remove the cream)
For the Peanut Butter Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (I use Skippy All Natural, No Need To Stir)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
For the Topping
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- Make the chocolate crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. (If necessary, place the bowl back in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.) Add the cookie crumbs and stir until evenly combined. Press the cookie crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the rim of a 10-in (25-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom (see note below). Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.
- Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling: In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until well-blended, a few minutes. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add one-third of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Add the remaining cream and, using a large rubber spatula, fold until evenly combined. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
- Make the chocolate topping: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted and the cream is hot. Stir until well blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally. Spread the chocolate topping over the chilled peanut butter filling and sprinkle the chopped peanuts around the edges of the pie. Chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 3 more hours.
- To serve: Carefully remove the rim from the pan by gently pressing upwards on the bottom while holding the rim in place. (If using a springform pan, run a thin knife around the crust to loosen it, then remove the springform ring.) Use a sharp knife to cut the pie into wedges. Wipe the knife clean between each cut. Serve chilled.
Notes
- You can find a tart pan with a removable bottom at any kitchen shop or online. However, if you can’t your hands on one, you can also use a 10-in (25-cm) springform pan and bring the crust about 1 in (2.5 cm) up the rim (or for a 9-in/23-cm springform pan, bring the crust about 1½ in/4 cm up the rim).
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This pie can be made a day ahead, then covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this and it came out delicious. But…. I made an oreo crust instead just because I didn’t want to bake anything hehe. Thanks for the recipe! It is so rich and exactly how I imagined it to taste!
Is it possible to make a version of this cake that requires no baking ? I’m currently living without an oven but I really wanted to try this cake!
Thank you
Hi Carlotta, I think you can get away with it. Please LMK how it comes out!
I made it with oreos and butter which requires no baking.
I made this without baking the crust and it came out well.
WOW! What a hit! Made it exactly as written and it was absolutely delicious! I did use a 10″ springform pan as that was all I had and it worked perfectly. This one is a keeper!
Fantastic recipe!
I had made some 4′ fluted tartlet shells with cocoa nib pâte sucrée, and was looking for the perfect filling.
This was it! The buttery crunch and deeply toasted flavour of the nibs in the pastry with the creaminess of the filling and the sweetness of the ganache was such a perfect balance of complement and contrast, that I will make it this way every time.
Absolutely loved it!
Oh, and I didn’t have any salted peanuts, so added a sprinkle of Maldon’s flaky salt on the top. Between that and the crunchiness of the cocoa nibs, it hit all the points.
(Highly recommend trying this with the cocoa nib pâte sucrée!)
Hi Jenn! Once again you have knocked it out the park. My husband and son both say that this is the BEST DESSERT EVER! Made this for hubby’s birthday because he wanted a “peanut butter dessert” and now this is going into the legendary recipe category. I made it and I’m not a big peanut butter dessert fan but I love it too. Thank you for such an awesome recipe.
This dessert was deliciously decadent! It was fun watching folks’ eyes bug out at first bite.
This was so easy to make. I used the Oreo cookie crust shortcut and Skippy Natural peanut butter with honey, so cut back the sugar to 1/2 cup for the filling. Quick note — be sure to use heavy cream/heavy whipping cream in the recipe as noted here. I used ‘table cream’ and spent 15 minutes attempting to beat this stuff until stiff peaks formed. Never happened.
Thanks so much for this recipe, Jenn!
My husband and I have made this exact recipe at least a dozen times since discovering your website! And every time family and friends rave about it. It’s our go-to “bring a dessert” recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks, Jen!!
Made this for Christmas Day & it was a 10/10! Great recipe & will definitely make again. If you are in Australia, Arnotts Chocolate Ripple Buscuits work perfectly.
Delicious dessert, but is there a trick to getting the crust batter even on the bottom? Mine was obviously too thick as I had trouble getting the batter to come up an inch on the sides, even when I switched from a 10″ springform to a 9″. I’ve only used that springform pan for a cheesecake recipe where you bake part of the batter on the bottom before attaching sides, so in that situation I was able to use a rolling pin to get the bottom crust thin and even. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Laurie, glad you liked it but sorry you had a problem with the crust. To make sure the bottom crust is an even thickness, you could use something like a dry measuring cup or the bottom of a drinking glass. Although it won’t come all the way up the sides as it would in a tart pan, you should not have a problem getting the crust to come up about an inch or so.
Thanks, Jenn. That dessert was amazingly delicious and so pretty! I can see why it’s one of your favorites. The crust turned out fine. It was just a bit thicker in some spots on the bottom, but everyone licked their plates clean!
Glad it came out nicely!
Unfortunately I only have 11 inch and 9 inch tart pan. If I make it in the 9 inch, do I just cut everything down by 1/10th? Thanks,. Can’t wait to make this.
Hi Lynn, If you can figure out the math, yes. I would probably just make the full recipe and use only as much filling and topping as the pan allows.
I made this as you suggested and it was a huge hit on my Thanksgiving table. My sister who is an excellent baker was especially effusive. The leftover filling I used as a topping for a banana snack 😀. (The only change I made was that I had to buy Trader Joe’s chocolate sandwich cookies and scrape out the cream filling to make the crust as my local stores didn’t have plain chocolate cookies.)