Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart with a Pretzel Crust

I have had a little obsession with pretzel pie crusts lately- plan on seeing additional recipes on the topic. I love things that are salty and sweet, and I think that is why.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart with a Pretzel Crust

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350.
Crush enough pretzels to yield one cup of pretzel crumbs. Stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Add 6 to 8 tablespoons of melted butter. The mixture should be very moist. Press into the bottom of a tart pan, springform pan, or pie dish. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely.

For the peanut butter layer:
1 cup peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese (half of a regular sized brick), brought to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
In the bowl of a mixer with whisk attachment, combine peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar (mixture may start to look a little crumbly). Add heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, with mixer running, until mixture is fluffy but a little stiff. Spread on top of cooled pretzel crust.

For the chocolate layer:
Folks, you have two choices:
Option 1: Combine a large milk chocolate jello pudding box (5.9 oz) with 2 cups milk. Whisk until smooth and starting to thicken, then gently pour over peanut butter layer. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Option 2: Ganache. Yum. I suggest you choose this one.
(Ganache is a mixture of good quality chocolate, heavy cream, and a touch of butter. Ganache is what makes up the insides of chocolate truffles.)

6-7 ounces of good chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, it's up to your taste preference. I used half milk, half dark.) Chop the chocolate into very small pieces. A serrated knife is the ticket to successful chocolate chopping. I generally keep my chocolate bars in the freezer (I get them from Ikea in bulk), so "chopping" for me means that I smash the crap out of my still-wrapped frozen bars with a rolling pin until the pieces feel small. Place the chocolate pieces in a small mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons butter until butter is melted and cream is steaming. Pour cream over chocolate pieces. Let it sit a minute, then whisk until chocolate pieces are completely melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then gently pour chocolate ganache over peanut butter layer.

Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

If you are using a springform pan (the kind where the sides pop off) run a knife around the edges of the tart before removing the pan sides.

I was taking my tart to a Halloween party which is why there is a "Spooky Spider" garnish.