This peanut crumble was born by chance.
I wanted to make cookies. I went to the supermarket to get the necessary ingredients and… oops!, I forgot to buy butter! So I improvised with an oil shortcrust pastry, which was a real novelty for me, as I had never tried it before. (Later on, the oil shortcrust became my regular pastry base, and I even wrote a basic recipe, funny how habits change, right? 😃).
Anyway. This shortcrust pastry with added crushed peanuts turned out really well, but along the way, I encountered some minor execution difficulties, because the dough crumbled while rolling it out due to the peanut pieces.
So, while I was there with my hands in the dough, unsure of how to solve the crumbling issue, I remembered a tart from some time ago that I had topped with shortcrust crumbs (yes, it was still the era of classic tarts with stripes, the crumbles weren’t yet as fashionable as they are now).
I paused the cookie preparation and thus embarked on a peanut crumble, then filled it with blueberry jam, which in the end, someone here described as mind-blowing, it was so well-liked. 😊
It’s really true that improvised recipes are always the best!
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👇 Here are more shortcrust ideas 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for 1 tart + 40 cookies
The quantities listed below are exactly what I used. They are abundant amounts for just one dessert, which I baked in a 9.5-inch diameter pan. With the remaining dough, I made cookies, yes, yes, in the end, with a lot of patience, I succeeded!
But to prepare the crumble, you need very little patience because it’s so easy, quick, and fun. You can even involve the kids: let them crumble the dough!
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 7 tbsp corn oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2.8 oz peanuts (weighed after shelling)
- blueberry jam (half a jar)
Tools
- Chopper
- Baking Pan for tarts
Steps
I shelled and chopped the peanuts (with the mixer).
I put the flour in a large bowl, made a well in the center, and added the sugar, oil, and eggs. I worked with my hands to dissolve the sugar, then added the chopped peanuts and baking powder. I worked again until I got a dough ball.
The dough tends to crumble, but in the end, you get a dough ball (which makes your hands a bit greasy) to place in the fridge for about half an hour.Meanwhile, I prepared the tart pan and lined it with parchment paper.
After the resting time, some oil settled at the bottom of the container: it’s normal, just dab the dough ball with kitchen paper and flour your hands.
I took a part of the dough and placed it in coarse crumbs on the pan, pressing it down with my hands and spreading it well until forming a dough base with an even thickness.
I spread the jam over the dough base, then crumbled the remaining dough over the jam until it was all covered. I tried to make rather small crumbs and ensured that no jam was left uncovered. I gently pressed with my fingers, especially making sure the edge was well covered with dough to prevent the jam from leaking during baking.
I baked it in the oven like a normal tart at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
And this is the result:
Then I sprinkled it with powdered sugar, but I think it looks nice even plain.
This peanut crumble is crunchy and soft at the same time. It’s truly delightful. And the next day, I think it’s even better.
Peanuts (or American peanuts, if you will) have an intense flavor, and perhaps someone might prefer hazelnuts or almonds, but don’t worry: I intend to experiment with all possible variants of this filled crumble!
But now, if you’re curious to know something about the cookies, here they are! 😃
Looking at them baked, you wouldn’t say they were ‘difficult to make’ as I defined them at the beginning 😄 but the secret is simple: just have a pinch of patience and make a few (three or four) at a time, because the dough tends to crumble and doesn’t easily yield to the rolling pin, but in the end… we wanted peanut cookies and so, after the crumble, we got those too! Never give up! 💪
Try this peanut crumble, and try the cookies too 😉 you won’t regret it!
Let me know your thoughts with a comment below this recipe or on the Facebook page or even in my group: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond. I’ll see you there!
