Peanut Butter Ganache

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Peanut butter ganache is a sweet, smooth frosting with a rich nutty flavor perfect for dressing up any chocolate or peanut butter treat. Drizzle it over a cake or parfait or use it to fill macarons! The options are endless with this super easy recipe.

Piped Peanut Butter Ganache in a glass jar

The perfect ganache is a real show stopper that can take your desserts to a whole new level. It’s smooth, flavorful and picture perfect. The good news is ganache is really very easy to make at home.

This peanut butter ganache is a real crowd pleaser. It’s the perfect consistency to drizzle on top of cookies, muffins or parfaits but it can also be used to fill macarons or coat a cake or brownies.

When you’re craving a subtle, smooth peanut butter flavor, this peanut butter ganache is the perfect recipe to try! You can also try my Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies, which have a peanut butter cookie base or my Easter Bunny Bait which is a delicious chocolate and peanut butter combo.

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Why Make This Recipe

Sweet and Smooth: White chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. The chocolate is the perfect compliment to the peanut butter flavor and also lends the perfect texture to the ganache
Versatile: Ganache can be a filling or a topping. It can coat an entire dessert or just be used as a drizzle. Anywhere you want to add sweetness and delicious peanut butter flavor, you can add this ganache
Simple Ingredients: This recipe calls for just four ingredients. It really is simple to make ganache at home!

ingredients to Make This Recipe

White Chocolate Chips: You can use chips or chunks. Just use a white chocolate you enjoy that is high quality or your ganache may end up oily.
Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is what you want for this recipe. Do not use a natural peanut butter that requires stirring as the oils separate too easily and may cause the ganache to break.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract helps balance out the flavors.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Milk or half and half will not work as a substitute in this recipe. You could use coconut cream to make a non-dairy version. Coconut milk will not have enough fat.

How to Make This Recipe

Step One: Heat the Cream

white chocolate chip + peanut butter in a bowl

In a medium bowl, add the white chocolate chips, peanut butter, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a small pot on the stove, heat the heavy whipping cream, stirring frequently, until it starts to steam and reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. You want the cream to be almost near a boiling point but not actually start to boil.

When the cream reaches this temperature, pour it into the bowl with the chocolate chips.

Step Two: Stir Until Smooth

warm heavy cream and peanut butter in a small bowl

Allow the mixture of chips and warm heavy cream sit for 30 seconds, then use a whisk to whisk the melted chocolate into the cream and peanut butter until everything is fully combined and smooth.

Step 3: Set the Ganache

Use the ganache when it is warm if you’d like a drip effect on your baked goods, or leave it in the fridge for about 2 hours to set if you’d prefer to pipe it. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

This ganache takes some time to set, so if you are planning to use it as a filling it may be best to make it the day before. You may want to press a piece of plastic wrap to the top to prevent a film from forming.
An immersion blender works well to blend the ingredients and make sure your ganache is perfectly smooth
Be extra careful not to burn your cream. If the cream is too hot it will ruin the taste of your ganache.
If you want to achieve a drip effect with your ganache be sure and apply it to your dessert before it has fully cooled. Drip it carefully along the edges of the cake.
You can double this recipe but make sure you pay attention to your chocolate chip and cream ratios to maintain the right balance of fat and cream.

Ways to Use Peanut Butter Ganache

piped peanut butter ganache on a chocolate cake

Ganache is so versatile because when it is freshly made it is soft and smooth, perfect for pouring. When it cools it firms up enough to put into a piping bag for piping or filling.

You can drizzle this ganache on top of ice cream, parfaits, muffins, or peanut butter cookies.
You can also use it as a frosting for cakes or peanut butter ganache brownies.
Peanut butter ganache is also a great creamy peanut butter filling for homemade peanut butter cups, macarons, tarts and truffles.
The peanut butter flavor goes perfectly with banana, chocolate, strawberry or vanilla desserts. You could also whip one cup whipping cream into this recipe to make a peanut butter mousse.

FAQs

peanut butter ganache piped on a chocolate cake

Why is My Ganache Lumpy?

Your ganache may turn out lumpy if it does not get hot enough to melt the chocolate. Melting white chocolate takes a bit more patience than melting milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Your cream needs to be very hot.

If your cream was not hot enough, you can put the entire mixture into a double boiler or a small pot and heat it up. Whisk as it heats until it becomes smooth.

You can also microwave the mixture in a heat-proof bowl in 30 second intervals, mixing between each until it becomes smooth.

How to Store

You can store leftover peanut butter ganache in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Why is My Ganache too Hard to Scoop?

If you are trying to use this recipe as a peanut butter frosting but finding it too hard to spread or scoop, allow it to sit and come to room temperature. You could also fill a bowl with hot water and put your ganache into a small bowl inside the larger bowl to soften it quicker.

Did you enjoy this Peanut Butter Ganache recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you: