Peanuts and chocolate are a dependable combination and this chocolate peanut butter slice is a vegan variation on a familiar theme, this time with a crunchy cocoa-rich biscuit base which makes it extra chocolatey.
As you might expect, it’s a really easy recipe, and you can use your preferred peanut butter: crunchy is good for texture, obviously, but smooth is easier to spread over the base!
The base is the only part that requires any baking. It’s a rich shortcake with a high ratio of cocoa and cornflour to flour which makes it extra crisp. Despite its crispness, it cuts cleanly with a sharp knife and doesn’t break away from the top layers.
Use a chocolate you like for the topping – I find the very dark 70%+ varieties can overwhelm the other flavours in a traybake.
The quantities here will make 16 thin slices (as pictured) in an 8″ square tin.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice…
Ingredients
- 45 g soft vegan margarine
- 25 g coconut oil
- 50 g brown sugar
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 20 g cornflour
- 60 g plain white/unbleached flour
- 160 g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
- 60 g icing (confectioner’s) sugar
- 150 g dark chocolate
Method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and lightly oil/line the base of an 8″ tin (or a smaller tin for a thicker slice). It’s not strictly essential to line the tin, but it ensures the base will come out in one piece.
- Soften the coconut oil a little in the microwave if it’s not already of a similar consistency to the margarine.
- Beat the coconut oil, margarine and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Sift in the cocoa, cornflour and flour and work together with a fork until it forms a biscuit dough.
- Roll the dough to roughly the right size on a lightly floured board, then transfer to the tin and press it into the corners. It won’t matter if it breaks up – just press it back together in the tin.
- Bake the base for around 10 minutes, until it’s just about starting to darken at the edges, then remove and set aside to cool.
- Soften the peanut butter on a low heat in the microwave to make it easy to spread. Add the icing sugar and mix well with fork before transferring to the biscuit base. Spread with a knife to create a fairly smooth surface. Allow it to cool before adding the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate gently in the microwave (or in a double boiler) and drizzle it over the peanut butter layer, then spread gently with a knife to ensure it reaches the edges.
- Wait until the chocolate has set completely before cutting squares carefully using a sharp knife.
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