Chocolate and peanut butter tart

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER TART

Although it's been years since I've had a Snickers bar, I'll often revisit the beautiful combination that is chocolate and salted peanuts.

SERVES 6-8

125g unsalted butter

125g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 eggs

½ cup caster sugar

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

handful of salted peanuts

vanilla ice-cream or crème fraîche, to serve

For the shortbread pastry case

110g butter, cubed

2½ tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup plain flour

Preheat the oven to 160°C. For the shortbread, place the butter, sugar, cocoa and flour in a large bowl and rub together with the tip of your fingers until the mixture starts to look like moist, rough breadcrumbs. Press the mixture firmly into the base and sides of a 35cm x 12cm loose-bottomed tart tin and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, then set aside.

For the filling, melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Set aside to cool completely.

Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk, until pale and creamy. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the chocolate mixture, then the flour. Spoon it into the pastry case, levelling out the surface. Top with dollops of peanut butter and swirl through. Scatter with peanuts and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Allow the tart to cool slightly, then serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or crème fraîche.

CINNAMON BREAD STICKS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

I'm a great fan of churros: deep-fried dough and chocolate sauce, what's not to like? I'm not too keen on deep-frying at home, though, so I prefer to make bread sticks instead.

SERVES 4-6

For the chocolate sauce

150g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

3 tbsp double cream

1 tbsp golden syrup

For the bread sticks

2 cups plain flour, plus extra for kneading

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp light-flavoured oil, plus extra for greasing and brushing

2 tbsp demerara sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

To make the bread sticks, put the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, pour in ¾ cup tepid water, and stir to form a soft dough (add another tbsp of water if the dough is too dry). Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and set aside for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 200°C and lightly grease an oven tray. Combine the demerara sugar and cinnamon.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and stretch it out to about 20cm x 20cm. Brush it with oil then scatter with half the sugar and cinnamon mix, lightly pushing it into the dough. Place dough sugared-side-down on the prepared oven tray. Brush with oil and top with the remaining sugar-and-cinnamon mix and cut into 12 lengths. Separate the sticks slightly and bake for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the chocolate sauce, put all the ingredients in a small pan over a very low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Stir in a pinch of salt.

Serve bread sticks warm with chocolate sauce on the side.

BILL'S TIP:
"When it comes to cooking, I always use dark chocolate. Its bitterness draws me in every time and makes even the naughtiest of recipes taste adult."

Food preparation by Rosie Reynolds and Marina Filippelli. Props merchandising by Rachel Jukes.