For Pi Day this year, I was truthfully struggling with what I wanted to make. I could not figure out if I wanted to go with a fruitier pie, a green pie(again), or just something completely different. Eventually, I settled on this recipe, inspired by a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It features a chocolate short crust pastry, a peanut butter and blonde chocolate ganache, and a dark chocolate ganache poured over that, finished with some more of the chocolate shortbread and fleur de sel for that sea salt chocolate aesthetic that everyone loves so much(if you do not have fleur de sel, just use kosher salt or maldon salt. They’re close enough). I wanted the visual to sort of resemble a peanut butter cup, but with chocolate as the focus. The usage of blonde chocolate was because white chocolate is too sweet, whereas blonde chocolate, which is white chocolate that is slowly caramelized, has a more robust flavor that pairs beautifully with peanut butter. Now I leave one important option up to you when it comes to making this recipe: chunky or creamy peanut butter? I went with creamy personally, but I get that the chunky or crunchy peanut butter has that fun texture in it, so I don’t hate on either one! Both work great in this recipe and for different reasons!

For the dark chocolate shortbread:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp black cacao powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp cold water(can also sub with creme de cacao/chocolate liquor!)

Blitz together your ingredients to form a dough. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes before rolling out on a floured surface to about 1/8th-inch thickness. Line 3 4-inch crumpet molds with oil and gently lower the pastry into each mold, trimming off the excess. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork then freeze the dough for at least 15 minutes. Weight with parchment and baking weights and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and baking weights and continue to bake for another 5 minutes. Allow the shells to cool down before unmolding.

With the spare dough, roll it out to about 1/16th-inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes and refrigerate the dough for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a lined sheet tray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes.

For the peanut butter-blonde chocolate ganache:
2oz blonde chocolate
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup peanut butter

Heat up your blonde chocolate, salt, and heavy cream until they fully melt together. Take off heat and stir in the peanut butter until combined. Allow the mixture to cool down to just above room temperature before pouring into your three tart shells. Allow the mixture to cool down and firm up before pouring your next layer on(about 10 minutes in the freezer).

For the chocolate ganache:
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Melt ingredients together over a double boiler. Once fully melted together, stir until combined and allow the ganache to cool down to just above room temperature. Pour over the peanut butter ganache and gently tap the tarts so that the filling flattens out. Freeze for another 15 minutes.

To finish:
Fleur de sel

Top the tarts with a sprinkle of finishing salt and the shortbreads.