Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts feature crisp, buttery Pâte Sucrée shells. The filling is a creamy peanut butter mousse topped with silky bittersweet chocolate ganache. These elegant 2.6-inch mini tarts are easy to make ahead. They deliver the perfect balance of peanut butter, chocolate, and pastry in every bite.

Jump to:

• Quick Look at the Recipe
• Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for the Peanut Butter Filling
• Making the Peanut Butter Filling: Step-by-Step
• Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache: Step-by-Step Instructions
• PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen
• In Case You Were Wondering
• Recipe

Quick Look at the Recipe

• Makes: 24 mini tarts
• Portioning: 20 grams peanut butter filling topped with 10 grams of chocolate ganache per tart
• Skill level: Easy to moderate. The components are simple, but accurate portioning and careful ganache application give the tarts their polished appearance.
• Make ahead: Yes. The tart shells can be made in advance, and the assembled tarts are refrigerated until ready to serve.
• Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture, let the tarts sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for the Peanut Butter Filling

Making the Peanut Butter Filling: Step-by-Step

1. Bake tart shells: Make the Pâte Sucrée; line the 2.6-inch tart molds with the pastry; freeze for at least 20 minutes; bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely - full recipe and step-by-step instructions.
2. Peanut butter mixture: Beat the cream cheese, creamy peanut butter, unsalted butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until fully incorporated.

2. Whipped cream: Add cold heavy cream to a small chilled bowl. Beat until firm peaks form.

3. Fold: Fold about one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream just until evenly incorporated.

4. Fill shells: Add 20 grams of the peanut butter mousse filling to each tart shell (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop, which provided the perfect amount). Smooth the surface with a small offset spatula, leaving approximately ⅛ inch below the top edge for the ganache. Refrigerate the filled tarts for at least 30 minutes to firm the filling.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache: Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Ingredients: For the ganache, you only need three simple ingredients; bittersweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, and unsalted butter.

2. Microwave: Add the bittersweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, and unsalted butter to a microwave-safe measuring cup with a spout. Heat at 50% power in 30-second increments until the chocolate chips are melted. In my microwave, this took 1 minute and 30 seconds. If the chocolate chips aren't fully melted, let the mixture sit for several minutes rather than heating it more.

3. Stir: Once the chocolate chips are fully melted, stir the mixture until the thick, luxurious ganache forms. Initially, it will look like the ganache won't form, but after a minute or two, the mixture comes together beautifully. Let the ganache cool for about 10 minutes, until it reaches 95°F to 100°F. I used an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the ganache.

4. Finish with ganache: Remove the filled tarts from the refrigerator. If necessary, use a tart tamper to gently even out the peanut butter filling. Place a tart on the kitchen scale, zero the scale, and pour 10 grams of ganache over the filling. Gently swirl the tart to evenly distribute the ganache.

5. Chill and enjoy: Refrigerate the finished tarts, uncovered, for at least 2 hours before serving. For the best texture, take the tarts out of the refrigerator about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. That should allow both the peanut butter filling and ganache to soften slightly while the Pâte Sucrée remains crisp.

There's something irresistible about the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter. These Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts take that combination up a notch with a crisp, buttery Pâte Sucrée shell.

I originally adapted these little tarts from an old peanut butter recipe that I hadn't made in years. After experimenting with the filling and ganache, I settled on a perfect 2:1 ratio - 20 grams of peanut butter filling and 10 grams of bittersweet chocolate ganache per tart.

The result? A winning combination that will keep you coming back for one more. Yum!

PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen

• Why I use a 2:1 Filling-to-Ganache Ratio: The first time I made these tarts, everything looked perfect until I took them out of the refrigerator. Every one had significant cracks in the ganache. The next time I made them, I used a close-to-1:1 ratio of peanut butter filling to ganache. As a result, the ganache overpowered the peanut butter taste. Ultimately, using 20 grams of the peanut butter filling and 10 grams of ganache in each 2.6-inch tart shell was the definite sweet spot. That ratio provided enough chocolate to complement the peanut butter without overpowering it. It also filled the tart shell to an attractive level without covering the fluted pastry shell.
• How to Smooth the Peanut Butter Filling: After adding the peanut butter filling to the tart shell, I used a small offset spatula to smooth the top. I found, however, that the filling was too soft for the spatula to work well. Therefore, after the filling had firmed up in the refrigerator, I used a tart tamper to gently even the tops before adding the ganache.

• Best Temperature for Pouring the Ganache: Based on my previous experiments, I began pouring the ganache at approximately 100°F. By the time I finished filling the tarts, the remaining ganache had cooled to approximately 84°F and was still easy to pour and swirl.
• How to Get Smooth Ganache Tops: Pour the ganache into the center of the tart rather than trying to distribute it as you pour. Once you've added 10 grams, gently swirl the tart to allow the ganache to level itself. Avoid fussing with the surface with a spatula. The ganache will produce a smoother finish on its own.

In Case You Were Wondering

Recipe

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