If you like peanut butter cups, you will love this chocolate peanut butter tart! This dessert is pretty much like a giant peanut butter cup but better.

Between the creaminess of the peanut butter filling and buttery chocolate shortbread cookie crust, this dessert will definitely wow your guests. Think Reese’s peanut butter cup meets chocolate tart! It’s a match made in heaven.

A peanut butter cup tart being sliced and served.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Serves a large crowd. This is such an indulgent, sinfully decadent dessert. You really only need a small sliver because a small slice goes a very long way.

You could easily get 12 servings out of this tart but since it is so rich, I have cut it into 16 smaller slivers. It really is like eating a candy bar.
Freezes well. This a great dessert that you can make in advance and freeze for several weeks. Actually, you could freeze it for up to 6 months if you keep it stored in a freezer-proof container.

Since this tart is not as thick as a peanut butter pie it will thaw quicker so keep it stashed away for random guests.
No rolling pin needed. The tart crust is an easy press-in chocolate shortbread pastry. I adapted the crust from my Chocolate-Mint Tart. If you don’t want to make a chocolate crust you can use our shortbread pastry instead.
Tastes like a peanut butter cup. The peanut butter layer is thick, rich, and creamy yet ever-so-fluffy. It is almost a cross between a peanut butter mousse and a cheesecake. The top of the tart is a peanut butter chocolate ganache that is swirled with smooth peanut butter. It is a showstopper and quite fun to make.

I’m so excited for you to try this dessert! If you are looking for more chocolate inspiration, try our triple chocolate cake or our triple chocolate brownies.

Ingredients Needed For Peanut Butter Tart Recipe

To make this decadent peanut butter dessert, there are three main parts to focus on: the crust, the filling, and the topping.

Here are all of the ingredients to make this delicious tart!

For The Chocolate Shortbread Crust:

The dough for the shortbread crust is pretty soft. You might think you need to add more flour but as long as it isn’t sticky and wet, the texture is supposed to be pretty soft.

Powdered sugar (also called confectioners’ sugar). The powdered sugar gives the crust a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Vanilla. A small amount of vanilla enhances the flavors.
Egg yolks. Used for a binder and additional fat for a delicate texture.
Butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter. The small amount of salt in salted butter will not make a noticeable difference in this recipe.
Flour. Regular all-purpose flour works just fine.
Espresso powder. This is optional but the espresso enhances the chocolate flavor.
Cocoa powder. Use unsweetened baking cocoa and not sweetened chocolate mix for drinks.
Cornstarch. Cornstarch gives the shortbread a delicate, flaky texture.

Pressing chocolate shortbread crust into a tart pan.

For The Peanut Butter Filling:

Whipping cream. Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
Sugar. Regular white granulated sugar.
Vanilla. As mentioned above, vanilla extract will enhance the flavors.
Cream cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese for best results.
Peanut butter. You can use smooth or creamy peanut butter. We used commercial peanut butter and not natural peanut butter.

For The Swirl Topping:

Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. It is best to use good melting chocolate. Just get a bar of chocolate and chop it up into small pieces. Chocolate chips can be used in a pinch but they do not melt as smoothly.
Cream. Use heavy cream of at least 36% fat content
Corn syrup. This will keep the ganache moist and adds some shine.
Creamy peanut butter. You can actually use crunchy peanut butter if you want but the creamy peanut butter will swirl into the chocolate ganache much easier.

Chocolate shortbread being prepped for the oven.

How To Make Peanut Butter Cup Tart

We’ve listed out the basic instructions below to give you an idea of how easy it is to make this chocolatey peanut butter tart recipe! To make it even easier for you, we broke it down by layer.

Aside from the shortbread crust, this is a no-bake dessert. If you don’t want to bake the crust then use our graham cracker crust recipe for a complete no-bake dessert. If you option to use a graham cracker crust you can swap out the regular graham crackers for chocolate graham crackers.

Note: Make sure not to skip the full printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. There, you’ll find all of the ingredient amounts and details you’ll need.

Before you start baking anything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees!

For the Shortbread Crust:

Make the cookie dough: In a bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla, egg yolks, and sea salt until well combined. Slowly add in the melted butter. Add the flour, cocoa, and cornstarch and stir until the dough forms a smooth ball.
Prep the dough in the baking pan: Move the cookie dough over to an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Gently press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use a fork to prick the crust all over.
Let the crust set before baking: Set the tart pan on a baking tray and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and press the sprayed side of foil very tightly against the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Add pie weights and transfer to the middle rack of the oven.
Bake the chocolate shortbread crust: Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and pie weights and continue to bake the crust uncovered for another 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down while working to make the peanut butter filling.

Tip for success:

Make sure you spray the aluminum foil with non-stick spray before you press it into the pastry. As long as the foil is well-greased, you will be able to lift it up easily.

A slice of chocolate peanut butter tart with coffee.

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

Make the whipped cream: In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until firm peaks form.
Make creamy peanut butter: In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add in the sugar and beat till smooth and creamy.
Mix the whipped cream and creamy peanut butter together: Using a wooden spoon, fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture.
Fill in the crust: Spoon the peanut butter filling evenly into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the Swirl Topping:

Heat the cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes then stir until smooth.
Add the hot water and stir.
Pour the chocolate in the center of the tart, pick up the pan and tilt/turn it so the chocolate flows to the edges and covers the entire top of the tart.
Heat the peanut butter in the microwave until melted.
Spoon drops of peanut butter on the tart and swirl gently with the tip of a knife.Refrigerate.
Set the tart and serve: Refrigerate the tart for 2-4 hours, or overnight. Let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Enjoy!

What To Serve With This Peanut Butter Dessert

This chocolate peanut butter tart is the perfect ending to a delicious dinner. It is indulgent enough to serve on its own! I also find it pairs well with a cup of dark French roast coffee or a cup of tea.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

When putting together this tart recipe, we came across a couple of frequently asked questions we wanted to answer.

Which kind of pan is best to use to make this peanut butter tart?

You will want an 11-inch tart pan. The tart pan has a removable bottom that pushes up. When transferring the tart, do not lift it from the bottom of the pan or the ring will fall right off. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and use the baking sheet to transfer the pan. That way you don’t have to worry about dropping the entire peanut butter tart on the floor.

If you have an 8-inch or 10-inch tart pan then you will have extra shortbread pastry and extra peanut butter filling. That’s not necessarily a bad thing 😉 You can make a couple of cookies with the extra pastry and sandwich them together with the filling.

Can I use chocolate chips?

I do not recommend using chocolate chip morsels. Chocolate chips have additives that help the chips hold their shape in cookies and they do not melt as smoothly.

As I mentioned above, you certainly can use them in a pinch but I am convinced that the flavor and texture is much better with good quality chocolate. We like Callebaut and Ghirardelli. Even Baker’s semi-sweet works well!

Tip: Save the chocolate chip morsels to make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

What kind of peanut butter is best to use in this recipe?

You can make this peanut butter tart with either crunchy or creamy peanut butter but I have not made it with natural peanut butter. If you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments!

More Chilled or Frozen Desserts

Connect With Savor the Best:

Please follow us on our social media accounts

Facebook * Instagram * Pinterest * Youtube * Twitter

Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below.

Peanut Butter Tart

A chocolate peanut butter sensation of creamy peanut butter filling over a chocolate shortbread crust. A decadent layer of chocolate is added to the top with swirls of creamy peanut butter.

5 from 16 votes

Print Pin Save

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings: -12 servings

Calories: 741kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Shortbread Crust:

½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks whisked lightly with a fork
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup butter melted and cooled
1-½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon espresso powder
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar- divided 1/4 & 3/4
2 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup peanut butter

For the Swirl Topping:

⅔ cup heavy cream
10 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate chopped
4 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons 30g creamy peanut butter

Instructions

For the Shortbread Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F
In a medium-size bowl, mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, the powdered sugar, vanilla, egg yolks and sea salt. Add the butter and mix to a smooth consistency. Add the flour, cocoa and cornstarch and stir until the dough forms a smooth ball.
Transfer the dough to an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. With your fingers and a tablespoon, press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
I also used the bottom of my metal measuring cup. Prick the crust, bottom and sides, with a fork set the tart pan on a baking tray and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet with the crust from the freezer, spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and press the sprayed side of foil very tightly against the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Add pie weights and transfer to the middle rack of the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and pie weights. Continue to bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before filling.

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl whip the cream, ¼ cup sugar, and the vanilla until firm peaks form; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and peanut butter till light and fluffy.
Add ¾ cup sugar and beat till smooth and creamy. Fold the reserved whipped cream mixture into the peanut butter mixture and spoon it evenly into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the Swirl Topping:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the cream and corn syrup then bring to a simmer, stirring to combine.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, cover and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Stir the mixture until it is smooth, then stir in the hot water until the glaze is shiny and pourable.
Pour the glaze on the center of the tart, quickly and carefully pick up the tart and tilt it from side to side allowing the glaze to flow to the edge.
Continue tilting until the surface of the tart is completely covered. Do not use a spatula to spread the glaze as it will mar the surface.
In a small dish, add the peanut butter and zap in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until melted.
Spoon and drizzle the melted peanut butter on top of the filling and with a knife-tip create swirls on the surface by dragging the knife-tip through and around in the chocolate.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours to set. Let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting.