Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Crust
200g / 7oz chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
45g / 3tbsp butter, melted

Chocolate mousse filling
225g / 8oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
240ml / 1 cup heavy cream, cold, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut butter mousse filling
125g / 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
35g powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120ml / 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold

Caramel sauce
100g / 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tbsp honey or corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
30ml / 2tbsp water
60ml / 1/4 cup heavy cream
8g / 1/2 tbsp butter

Chocolate sauce

30g / 1oz semisweet chocolate

30ml / 2tbsp heavy cream

1) Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 20cm / 8inch pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. 

2) To make the crust, mix together finely crushed cookies with melted butter and press down to he bottom of the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

3) To make chocolate mousse filling, place copped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat 120ml (1/2 cup) of heavy cream until hot enough but not boiling! Pour over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. After 1 minute, stir to make a smooth ganache. Mix in the vanilla extract. Let cool slightly while you beat the cream. In a cold bowl, add the remaining 120ml of heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix carefully until incorporated. Spread onto the prepared crust. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

4) To make the peanut butter mousse filling, mix together peanut butter, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently mix the heavy cream into the peanut butter mixture. Spread over the chocolate mousse filling. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm.

5) To make the caramel sauce: in a medium saucepan, combine together sugar, honey or corn syrup, salt and water. Bring to boil while stirring. When it starts bubbling, stop stirring and let it turn to a light/medium amber color. At this point it will NOT look like caramel. Especially if your saucepan has a black bottom, you won't be able to see the real color so turn off the heat when it looks just slightly golden, otherwise, it will be dark and bitter. The whole browning process should take no more than 10 minutes. When you reach the desired color, remove from heat and slowly start pouring in the heavy cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the butter. Let cool. Once it has cooled, drizzle over the peanut butter mousse. Refrigerate.

6) To make the chocolate glaze, heat heavy cream until hot but not boiling. Pour over chocolate, let sit for a minute, and stir to make a smooth ganache. Let cool slightly and drizzle over the caramel.

7) Let the cake sit in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours before slicing and serving.

Recipe by collecting memories

Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 can chickpeas (200g drained)

125g / 1/2 cup homemade peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

60ml / 4 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt (if using salted PB, omit salt)

90g / 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F.

2) Add all the ingredients except for chocolate chips in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

3) Transfer to a bowl and mix in chocolate chips.

4) Form small balls and flatten slightly. They will not spread a lot. The dough will be very sticky. Wet your hands so it doesn't stick that much.

5) Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to a plate. 

Makes 1 dozen.

Recipe adapted from here.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

62g / 1/4 cup unsweetened homemade peanut butter
50g / 2 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
400g / 1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp vanilla extract
A handful of chocolate chips

1) Add peanut butter, agave nectar, chickpeas and vanilla extract into your food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Makes 1 1/2 cup.

Recipe by collecting memories

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Crust:
190g / 1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
95g / 7 tbsp butter, melted

Cookie Dough:
113g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
100g / 1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
50g / 1/4 cup white sugar 
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
125g / 1 cup flour
2 tbsp milk
90g / 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake: 
750g / 26 oz cream cheese, room temperature
150g / 3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

1) To make the crust, mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into a 8 or 9 inch springform pan and bake in a 160C / 325F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Do not turn off the oven.

2) Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add milk, mix until incorporated. Finally, stir in the flour and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips. Place the cookie dough in the fridge while you prepare the filling. (You could also make this ahead of time and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.) When the cookie dough is firm enough, remove from the fridge and form little balls. Set aside.

3) To make the filling, beat together cream cheese, white sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

4) Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and arrange cookie dough pieces on the top of the surface, slightly pressing them down. Bake for 45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool completely before serving, preferably overnight.

Recipe by collecting memories

Soft Dark Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft Dark Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

170g / 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
150g / 3/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
50g / 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g / 2 cups flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

1) In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips. Chill the dough overnight

2) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into balls. Place on a baking tray, leaving about 5 cm / 2 inch space between each cookie so they can spread. Bake for 9 minutes or until slightly underbaked in the middle. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a plate.

Recipe adapted from here.

Millionaire's Bars

Millionaire’s Bars

Base:
125g (1 cup) flour 
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
50g (1/4 cup) sugar

Caramel:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Topping:
3.5 oz / 100g milk or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 
1/2 tsp light corn syrup
30g (2 tbsp) 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

1) Preheat oven to 160C / 325F. Line a 20 x 20 / 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine together butter and sugar and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Spread into the pan and bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely.

2) To make the filling, combine together butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter in melted and the mixture looks smooth. Bring to boil and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens a bit and turns amber color. Spread onto the shortbread layer and let cool completely. Transfer into the fridge for a few hours or overnight. 

2) To make the chocolate glaze, combine together butter and corn syrup in a small saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over the condensed milk layer immediately. Cool completely before cutting into squares. For the best results, slice only after chilling for a few hours.

Recipe adapted from here.