Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti and Swirl Cheesecake!!

7 years ago today I got married! At the time we caused a bit of scandal by basically eloping. However time has passed and the drama forgotten…that is until I made this cheesecake: 

It is massive and worth talking about. I however am not giving you the recipe! I know I am mean. It’s just that I already shared a cheesecake recipe from this book with all of youu. It’s from Tea with Bea by Bea Vo and the book is currently only 4.99 at The Book People. This book is worth buying. Some of the recipes look a bit daunting, but the few I've tried so far are easy to follow and turn out amazing. You can always visit them in London if you can't be bothered making your own! :0)  

I am however giving you the easy recipe for chocolate peanut butter biscotti. It also come from the book and is the crust of this delicious cheesecake that is so big I am going to have go to just start handing it out to strangers.

300g/2 cups plain/all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

100g/ ½ cup light brown soft sugar

40g/2 tbsp natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

40g/2 tbsp golden syrup

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2 eggs (medium UK; large USA)

2 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

80g/ 2/3 cup shelled whole peanuts (unsalted/honey roasted)

80g/3oz high quality dark/semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into pea-sized pieces

caster/superfine sugar, for sprinkling

70g/ ½ cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

Combine all the dry ingredients: flour, b.powder, salt, sugar, cocoa.

Whisk g.syrup, oil, eggs, water, and vanilla until well combined.

Add to the dry mixture and mix until just combined and there is no trace of the dry ingredients.

Add the peanuts and chocolate until just combined.

Bring the dough together into a ball, wrap in cling film/plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 145Cfan/160C/290F/gas3

Sprinkle the work surface with sugar. Flatten the dough roughly with your hands on the work surface.

Dot spoonfuls of the peanut butter over the dough.

Lightly roll the dough into a log about 6cm/2 ½ in wide and 2cm/1 in high (will spread when baking)



log before baking

Try to encase the peanut butter as it can burn when exposed.

Place a the log on a prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment paper)

Bake for 25-40 minutes until the top is completely hardened, and when tapped, feels sturdy and not squishy inside.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven temp down to 135Cfan/150C/265F/gas2.

Slice the cooled log, diagonally, into 1cm/ ½ in wide batons.

Lay all the batons flat on the same baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until nice and dry, then flip them over and bake again for the same amount of time.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute.

Cool completely. Will store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.  

I hadn’t realised that they used a fan-assisted oven for all the recipes in this book so when I made these it took FOREVER to harden. I didn’t bother cutting mine all nice and neat as the were for this cheesecake:  

…more then they were for coffee or tea!!

Enjoy!!