Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Although there are a number of steps to make this cake, I actually broke down the method using a food processor without having to wash the bowl in between the steps.

Step 1: Add the peanuts to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Place the chopped nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 350 F. Tap out any remaining nut pieces from the bowl but don’t worry if there are some bits left. Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa powder in the food processor bowl. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Pull the pan out of the oven, stir the mixture and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Step 3: While the chocolate crumb topping is baking, tap out any remaining crumbs from the food processor bowl but don’t worry if there are some bits left. Make the crust by adding the chocolate and vanilla cookies to the food processor bowl and pulsing until they are completely broken down into crumbs. Add the tablespoon of peanut butter and continue pulsing until the crumbs come together to form a paste. This will take a few minutes so be patient.

Place the paste into a 9″ pie plate, 10″ spring-form pan lined with parchment paper or a 9″ square baking pan. Using your knuckles or the back of a spoon, spread the paste out to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the crust and refrigerate.

Step 4: Tap out any remaining crumbs from the food processor bowl but don’t worry if there are some bits left. Make the filling by adding the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and processing until completely combined and smooth. Add the peanut butter and salt and pulse until combined. Add the whipped topping and pulse until combined. Add the peanut butter chips and pulse once or twice just to distribute the chips into the batter.

Step 5: Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate crumb topping evenly over the top and refrigerate for about an hour to set the mixture. Remove the cake from the refrigerator approximately 15 minutes before serving.