This is a Dorie Greenspan recipe I spotted on food blogs almost a year ago…too late, I think, to make it for Greg’s last birthday, and so

chocolate peanut butter torte
long that I’ve really built it up in my head and was expecting great things. And it did deliver. The torte has a few steps, but is relatively simple to make and not too time consuming. The finished torte has a creamy, medium-heavy filling of peanut butter, cream cheese and whipped cream, with lots of chunks of crunchy peanuts. I read that some people had a hard time making the cookie crust and recommended increasing the number of Oreos you use, which I did by 25%. I still couldn’t get the crust to come all the way up the edges, but that was purely my ineptitude. It was still great, and great looking, and the corner of the crust was thick with Oreos. I’ve posted the amounts the recipe originally called for, but if you want, you can use 30 Oreos and 5 T butter for an extra-thick crust. Serves 12-16, depending on how thick you cut the slices.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c coarsely chopped salted peanuts (use cocktail peanuts, not dry roasted)
2 t granulated sugar
1/2 t instant espresso powder
1/4 t ground cinnamon
Few dashes of ground nutmeg
1/2 c mini chocolate chips, or finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
24 Oreo cookies, finely ground in a food processor
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 1/2 c heavy cream
1 1/4 c confectioner’s sugar, sifted
12 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 c salted smooth peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)
2 T whole milk
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9″ round spring form pan. In a medium bowl, toss together the Oreo crumbs and melted butter with a fork until just moistened. Press the Oreo mixture into the pan in a thin, even layer, working it up the sides of the pan as far as you can go. Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely in the pan.
Meanwhile, toss 1/2 c chopped peanuts, granulated sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chips together in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat 2 c cold heavy cream until medium peaks form. Beat in 1/4 c sifted confectioner’s sugar until medium-firm peaks form. Place whipped cream in refrigerator until ready to use.
Using a stand mixer with sturdy beaters (you don’t want to use whisk beaters), cream the cream cheese and remainign 1 c confectioner’s sugar until satiny smooth. Add the peanut butter, 1/4 c chopped peanuts and the milk. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in one quarter of the whipped cream to lighten the peanut butter mixture. Gently stir in the peanut chocolate mixture you assembled earlier, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream- fold gently until just combined so as not to deflate the mousse. Scrape the mixture into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, covering top with plastic wrap as soon as it has firmed a bit.
To finish the torte, place 4 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water just until chocolate has begun to soften and melts a bit. Meanwhile, bring remaining 1/2 c cream to a full boil in a small saucepan. When chocolate is ready, remove bowl from the heat and pour the hot cream over the top. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Spread chocolate over the top of the chilled torte and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c peanuts. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes until topping is set. When you are ready to serve the torte, warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer or warm towel for about 10 seconds. Gently remove sides of pan, slice and serve.