peanut butter and chocolate cream tartlets

A couple of years ago, I started making Bon Appetit's Peanut Butter Cream Tart. A chocolate cookie crust is filled with a light but rich-tasting peanut butter cream and decorated with a chocolate-peanut butter topping. I thought it would be cute to make this larger tart into tiny tartlets, in a butter cookie crust.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cream Tartlets

For cookie crust:
From Chocolate and Mixed Nut Tart in Cookie Crust, Bon Appetit, February 2002
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 stick plus 1 tbs. chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tbs. cream and vanilla extract. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Press dough over bottom of six 5-inch tartlet pans. Pierce dough all over with a fork.

Place tartlet pans on baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and use 1-cup measuring cup to press down crust, if puffed. Let cool completely.

For filling:
From Peanut Butter Cream Tart, Bon Appetit, December 2002
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter, room temperature
1 c. chilled whipped cream
1/2 c. plus 2 tbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth. Using clean dry beaters, beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks in another bowl. Whisk half of whipped cream mixture into peanut butter mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream mixture. Transfer 3 tbs. filling to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining filling in crust.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk in reserved 3 tbs. filling. Spread chocolate mixture over peanut butter filling. Chill until cold.