Chocolate Bundt Cake and Peanut Butter Glaze

I needed something fairly quick and simple to make for our game day party on Saturday. Cake seems to go well for both the adults and kids and what better combo than peanut butter and chocolate? This seems to be my go to chocolate cake recipe when I want to make a bundt cake. It is from Askinosie Chocolate and is fabulous! I am out of their cocoa (I guess I should order some!), so I used what I had in the cabinet and it worked out fine. The PB glaze is something I just kind of winged, so we'll just have to go with it. :)


Askinosie Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 Tbsp (heaping)Askinosie cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. (I used a bundt pan)
Mix sugar and flour together in a large mixing bowl, set aside. Melt butter in a small pan on the stove. Add vegetable oil, cocoa and water. Bring to a boil. Pour cocoa mixture into sugar/flour mixture. Mix for 5 minutes. Add buttermilk, vanilla, salt, baking soda and eggs and mix again until thoroughly combined. Pour into baking pan, bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cake cool completely before serving.


Peanut Butter Glaze
Basically, here is what I did...heated about 1/2 cup milk and mixed in 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter until smooth. I dumped some powdered sugar in the mixer bowl...probably around 2 cups?? and then I just added the pb/milk mixture until it came to the consistency I wanted. Simple enough, huh? :)

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

The kids are out of school and we are just enjoying the weather. I can't believe that it has been over 2 weeks since I have posted last, but sometimes life just happens.

I found these cookies from Amanda's Cookin' and knew that I had to make them. Peanut butter cookies, or if I am being honest, anything with peanut butter is my all time favorite. These were quick to mix together with a short bake of 8 minutes and they were perfect. Soft and chewy, just what I needed!

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
From: Amanda's Cookin'

1/2 cup shortening (or butter flavored shortening)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.

No Bake PB/Chocolate Bars

You know those famous little no bake cookies?? These kind of taste like those...only deconstructed. I found these over at Buns in my Oven, and no it's not that kind of bun! There are tons of great looking recipes on her site, so go and check her out if you haven't already. The one thing that caught my eye with these is the small amount of sugar that you add to the mix.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and oats. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Press half of mixture in to the bottom of a buttered 8 x 8 dish.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and blended. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the crust, reserving a couple of spoonfuls to drizzle over the top.

3. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter, pressing gently to form a crust. Drizzle the remaining chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars.

4. Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting and serving.

Banana Bread

To be completely honest, there is nothing special about this banana bread. It is simple, moist, flavorful but nothing that just screams "make me". I did cut the sugar and added in some peanut butter and chocolate chips to the mix and it turned out great. So, here's the thing..if you have some bananas laying around that need to be used, make this bread. You won't be sorry.

Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup PB and chocolate chips, or chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash up bananas and mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until combined. Mix in the melted butter. Fold in PB and chocolate chips or nuts, if using.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Chewy PB Chocolate covered Raisin Granola Bars

Last week Megan shared this recipe that she found from Passionate About Baking. Now, I don't know how I had never seen her before, but I am so happy that Megan pointed me in that direction! With trying to be healthier and sounding like these were delish, we set out to make them. You can substitute any flavors that you like, so I just went with what I had on hand, so I wouldn't have to make an extra trip to the store. I chose peanut butter, chocolate covered raisin. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but they turned out pretty tasty. The hubby liked them and the kids gobbled them up.

Thick and Chewy Granola Bars

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts
1/3 cup peanut butter6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 7″ x 11″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, syrup or honey, and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on them. They’ll still seem soft and almost under baked in the center when you take them out but do not worry, they’ll set completely once they cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week, I asked the hubby what kind of cookie he wanted and he wanted something with peanut butter and chocolate. Honestly, I wanted him to tell me something that was sort of a challenge for me to find a recipe for this week, but I guess you really can't do that with cookie. I guess this really was a little challenge for me, because I haven't found that perfect peanut butter cookie recipe yet. This one is close, and will do, but I am always looking for new ones. :)

I found this recipe in one of my cookie magazines and was curious about it because there is no butter, I am guessing that the peanut butter takes that place, and there is only 1/4 cup of flour. This told me that it would probably be moist and chewy in the middle. And yes, I was right. With little spreadage, and a crisp outside, with the chewy in the middle, they did hit the spot. The first thing that came out the oldest sons mouth as soon as he popped one in his mouth was, mmmmmmm. I took that as a thumbs up! Will these go on my cookie platters? Probably!!

Don't forget my other cookie baker's this week, we are almost to the end girls! :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl beat peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet (do not use an insulated cookie sheet); flatten slightly with fingers.

Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and lightly browned around edges (centers will be soft). Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; cool completly. Makes 2 dozen.

Peanut Butter Blossoms- Week 5

We are at week 5 of the Christmas cookies, and it amazes me how fast time flies! Sometimes, I am in need of a quick cookie recipe that I can just throw together. You know, those that you have all the ingredients in the pantry and you don't need to wait on the butter to soften to room temperature? This cookie is that one.

My friend and I have started this dinner club and the whole point of it is to fellowship with each other and make meals for the freezer. A couple of hours in and we had 3 meals and bread sticks for our freezer. While we were busy making dinners, the hubbies and kiddos needed something sweet. These were the perfect thing. They were quick to make and put into the oven, and I think that they disappeared just as quick!

Wonder what my other cookie bakers have made this week?

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

1/2 cup shortening3

/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp saltgranulated sugar

48 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and peanut butter together until creamy. Add both sugars, beating until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beating dry ingredients into wet mixture until dough forms.

Using your hands, shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll shaped balls in granulated sugar; turning completely to coat. Place sugared balls of dough into a greased mini muffin pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until cookies turn a very pale brown. Immediately remove pan from oven and press a kiss into the center of each cookie. Carefully remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut Butter is one of my favorite things. I don't like to eat it straight from the jar, but I love it in pies, brownies, cakes...anything baked. These little babies made me very happy, they are moist and chewy.

Are you familiar of the food event Cooking with Alicia and Annie? I have known about it for a few months now, but this is my first time participating. If you don't know about it, check it out. You just choose a recipe from Alicia or Annie, make it, post about it, comment on the blog that you made it, and you are in the drawing for a monthly prize. Not too bad, huh?

I found these brownies on Annie's blog. There are so many things that I want to make from her blog and Alicia's as well!! So many recipes, not enough time!

Peanut Butter Brownies
From: Annie's Recipes
3 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips--I left these out

Instructions
Cream together shortening and sugar. Add peanut butter, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients then fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until done.

Saturday Night

This past Saturday night, we had friends over and what better way to finish off the night with chocolate fondue? in fountain form! You can find these little home fountains just about anywhere these days and they are inexpensive. Adults love it, kids love it..just don't worry about the mess it will make though. :)

We had marshmallows and strawberries....

and you can't forget peanut butter balls!

I could do this every weekend!

Peanut Butter Balls:

2 sticks margarine

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 (16oz) box powdered sugar

Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a large pot. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar until combined. This will make the dough thick. Roll into balls and put on wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator. Dip into melted chocolate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

You know those recipes that you think...there is probably one out there better than this, but these are good? This is one of those recipes. Again, I was looking through this stack of printed off recipes and came across this one. Hopefully, one of these days I will make it through that stack.

I would make these again, the kids loved them, and the hubby liked them too. They were moist, but probably could have used a little more peanut butter for my taste. Needless to say, they didn't make it through the day, until they were gone.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Butter a 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add the eggs and combine. Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla and mix until combined.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix this mixture to the wet mixture. Mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread batter in baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you are trying to watch your sugar intake or trying to be a little healthier, these cookies are for you. They are made with Splenda and if I calculated right, they are 1.5 Weight Watcher points per cookie. This recipe came from Paula Deen and they really are good. Peanut Butter cookies are my favorite, and these are soft and chewy and very peanut buttery...is that even a word?! You could probably get away with a low fat peanut butter, but I have to admit, I am a peanut butter snob. Only Peter Pan Creamy for me. The recipe said that Paula got 18 cookies out of the batch, I used my cookie scoop and got 22 cookies. They are a perfect 2 or 3 bite cookie, not too big or not too small.

This is the first of my healthy baking, and I was not disappointed. I hope the others turn out as good!

Peanut Butter Cookies with Splenda
By: Paula Deen

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 cup Splenda
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat your cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Mix together all the ingredients until they are combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Press criss crosses on the top of the cookies with a fork, because really, what is a peanut butter cookie without the criss crosses? Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Ma Tanta Minnie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

I am starting to think that Megan and I should call this cookbook project, Chocolate with Marcel instead. For the last 3 weeks, we have chosen recipes from this book. There are so many more that I want to make, and it is sure to cure the chocolate craving.

This weeks recipe was Megan's choice and she picked a great one. But then, there hasn't been one that I haven't liked. This is a great one right here at the holidays. Who doesn't like a good cookie?

I think that Megan was going to get a little fancy with these cookies, go and check out her take on them too! Next up, is my choice of recipe. Not sure what it will be yet...

Ma Tanta Minnie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms
By: Marcel Desaulniers


1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pieces and softened
4 oz. semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
16-18 Miniature Reese's Peanut butter cups, unwrapped




Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

Place the flour, butter, chocolate, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the peanut butter, egg, milk, baking soda, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on low for 1 minute, until combined. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle, then beat on medium for 10 seconds, until a dough forms (it does not take very long) and comes off the bottom of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer. (At this point you will notice this dense dough exudes and amazingly seductive aroma of peanut butter and chocolate, giving you an indication of the good things to come. But due to the presence of raw egg in the dough, please refrain from nibbling any.) Just for the record, I did not pay any attention to this little warning! :)

Portion 3 level tablespoons or 1 level #50 ice cream scoop of the dough for each Blossom. Use your hands to form each portion into a smooth ball. Roll the balls in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lightly coating each.

Place the balls on the baking sheets, about 4 inches apart width wise and 2 inches apart lenghtwise. Place the baking sheets on the top and enter racks of the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until light golden brown, switching the sheets between top and center and rotating each 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.

Remove from the oven and immediately top each Blossom with a peanut butter cup, pressing down so the cup is positioned about halfway into the cookie and creates cracks around the edges (it now resembles a flower blossom). Cool on the baking sheet until room temperature. Store in a tightly sealed plastic container.

Banana-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

If you like the combination of banana and peanut butter, you will absolutely love these! You have a banana cake, and peanut butter and cream cheese filling and a drizzle of a chocolate glaze on these. I can't remember where I found these little babies, so if it is you, thanks for a great recipe. But, I am so glad that I did try them! So, if for some reason, you are over run with ripe bananas, instead of making banana bread, try these! I know that you will love them!

Banana-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt (I used vanilla flavored)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together banana and yogurt. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and both sugars completely, ten add egg and beat until just combined. Add vanilla.

Alternately mix flour and banana mixture into creamed butter until just combined, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scoop mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch tip. (I used my cookie scoop.)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe batter into 1 1/4 inch rounds. Bake in oven just until the edges are slightly golden brown--you want the resulting cake to be soft and moist, not crispy. About 10-12 minutes. Transfer parchment to cooling rack and cool completely.

For the filling:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

In a medium bowl, use and electric mixer to beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, vanilla and peanut butter and mix until combined. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag with the end cut off.

Pipe filling onto the flat side of half of the cakes and then top with the other half of the cakes. Drizzle with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate glaze:
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp corn syrup

Melt all ingredients in double boiler, or a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Mix until smooth. Do not over heat, or it will become grainy. Drizzle over whoopie pies.

These would be perfect for an afternoon tea with the girls!

Peanut Butter Cookies

These have got to be the easiest cookies I have ever made, just 3 ingredients and you have yummy, peanut butter cookies!!

If you haven't heard of Operation Baking Gals, you really need to check it out. Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic came up with the idea after her brother in law was in need of some homemade goodies. This is round 2 and there are 7 hostesses this month. I signed up with Stephanie of Steph Chows and we are sending a ton of cookie love to LT Eric Olsen and his crew who are currently serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln. I know that they are going to be excited!

Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the peanut butter, sugar and egg together until well blended. Roll into balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball by using a fork to make a criss cross pattern.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Baking with Shane

This is my 13 year old son Shane. When I asked him what he wanted to bake, he immediatly said brownies. This kid is a true chocoholic! Always has been, and I don't see any sign of that changing for a long time. So, we got searching the blogs and came across these Peanut Butter Marbled Brownie from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen, I love it when I come across a new blog that I haven't seen before!

Pay no attention to my messy table! :)

This is the only picture that I could get of him, actually making the brownies, although he did make them himself. First you mix the PB mixture, with cream cheese, PB, sugar and a couple of other ingredients, set them aside. Mix the brownie mixture, layer them in the baking dish, swirl with a knife and bake.

Here is the finished product. Delicious, if I do say so myself. We tried one warm, but I have to say that we liked them better once they were completely cooled to room temperature. If you like a gooey brownie, this is one to try!

PB Marbled Brownies:

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Peanut butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (We used 1/2 cup mini chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, egg, and milk until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix in the remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; mix into the batter. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Remove 1 cup of the batter. Spread the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Drop the reserved chocolate better by teaspoonful over the filling. Using a knife, gently swirl throught the top layers for a marbled effect.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

TWD-Peanut Butter Torte

Updated below:I have made this, but it is still sitting in my fridge. The ganache has not been made yet...but will made when I get home from work in a couple of hours. Until then........

:)


This week, Elizabeth with Ugg Smell Food chose the recipe for the week. This was one of the many recipes that I wanted to put to the top of the list to make out of "the book." The crust was simple to put together, as well as the peanut butter mousse filling.

I have to say that I wasn't crazy about it. But, when I really think about it, I had cut myself a big, huge piece and it is really rich....I probably would love it as a mini.

Next weeks recipe comes from Di at Dianne's dishes, and she has chosen Florida pie! I haven't even looked at the recipe yet, but I am guessing that it involves key limes? We shall see!! Don't forget the TWD chicks!


Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Spring form pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Spring form pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.