Peanut butter filled chocolate bar
A few weeks ago I made my first chocolate bars and they were a huge success. I wanted to upgrade a normal chocolate bar with dried fruits to something more.
I came up with the idea of filling a chocolate bar with some sort of cream or something that would be thin enough to spread on the chocolate base but not too thin so that it would run all over the chocolate. I had two options, one with white chocolate and fruit-caramel filling and another with dark chocolate, cookies and peanut butter.
The white chocolate bar was a big mess, the filling was to runny and it leaked all over the chocolate. The second one with the peanut butter and cookies was very good and I am proud to share this recipe with you.
I mixed the peanut butter with a little whiskey, vanilla, sugar and lemon to give it extra flavor. I used chocolate Leibniz cookies for some crunch, but you can use your favorite flat cookie. The most important ingredient is of course the chocolate. It is very important that you use the best quality dark chocolate for the best result. The chocolate is tempered to give it a nice shine, higher melting point and that delicious snap when you break it.
When the chocolate is set take the mold out of the fridge and spoon in the peanut butter mixture, use a palette knife to even out the mixture. Add two cookies in each bar. Fill the bars with leftover chocolate, tap the mold again to get rid of air bubbles. Sprinkle over some peanuts for decoration.
I came up with the idea of filling a chocolate bar with some sort of cream or something that would be thin enough to spread on the chocolate base but not too thin so that it would run all over the chocolate. I had two options, one with white chocolate and fruit-caramel filling and another with dark chocolate, cookies and peanut butter.
The white chocolate bar was a big mess, the filling was to runny and it leaked all over the chocolate. The second one with the peanut butter and cookies was very good and I am proud to share this recipe with you.
I mixed the peanut butter with a little whiskey, vanilla, sugar and lemon to give it extra flavor. I used chocolate Leibniz cookies for some crunch, but you can use your favorite flat cookie. The most important ingredient is of course the chocolate. It is very important that you use the best quality dark chocolate for the best result. The chocolate is tempered to give it a nice shine, higher melting point and that delicious snap when you break it.
Peanut butter filled chocolate bar
(Makes 2 medium sized bars)
Time:
Preparation: 10min
Cooking: 20min
Cooling: 20-30min
For the chocolate shell:
- 300g good quality dark chocolate
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (I used smooth)
- 1 teaspoon whiskey (optional)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (to taste)
- 4 chocolate cookies (I used Leibniz cookies)
Making the filling:
Place the peanut butter in a bowl, add whiskey, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice and mix. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking. Set aside
Making the chocolate shell:
First you will need to temper the chocolate:
Chop 225 grams of dark chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 75 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside.Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 225 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 45-48°C (113-118°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently to cool until it reaches 27°C (81°F). This may take a while, depending on the room temperature. When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 30-31°C (88-90°F).
Now the chocolate is at the ideal working temperature, and you must work quickly.
Fill the mold (two bars) with chocolate then flip the mold over the bowl with the chocolate and let the excess of the chocolate run into the bowl, so that you are left with a nice coating of chocolate on the mold. Tap the mold a few times so that the air bubbles pop and the chocolate evens out. Place the mold in the fridge for the chocolate to set (5 minutes).
When the chocolate in the mold is setting, keep the leftover chocolate at 30-31°C (88-90°F). If the chocolate cools to much (below 27°C or 81°F) and becomes to thick to work with, I use a hair dryer to gently warm the chocolate back to 30-31°C (88-90°F). Be careful not to over-heat the chocolate (more than 32°C or 89,6°F) because then the chocolate will be out of temper and you will have to start again.
Fill the mold (two bars) with chocolate then flip the mold over the bowl with the chocolate and let the excess of the chocolate run into the bowl, so that you are left with a nice coating of chocolate on the mold. Tap the mold a few times so that the air bubbles pop and the chocolate evens out. Place the mold in the fridge for the chocolate to set (5 minutes).
When the chocolate in the mold is setting, keep the leftover chocolate at 30-31°C (88-90°F). If the chocolate cools to much (below 27°C or 81°F) and becomes to thick to work with, I use a hair dryer to gently warm the chocolate back to 30-31°C (88-90°F). Be careful not to over-heat the chocolate (more than 32°C or 89,6°F) because then the chocolate will be out of temper and you will have to start again.
When the chocolate is set take the mold out of the fridge and spoon in the peanut butter mixture, use a palette knife to even out the mixture. Add two cookies in each bar. Fill the bars with leftover chocolate, tap the mold again to get rid of air bubbles. Sprinkle over some peanuts for decoration.
Place in the fridge for 20 minutes, then take out and leave at room temperature to set completely, about 1 hour or until the chocolate falls out of the mold.
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