I live in a small town reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. Kingston Springs, Tennessee is a place of beautiful nature, kindness, strong community, creative inspiration and talented musicians. You may catch a live show at the Fillin’ Station with a delicious patty melt, or maybe an impromptu jam session at Skyking while eating a delicious wood-fired Selma pizza topped with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh Ricotta cheese. Now I’m back at it with Lhyme creating more music food fusion inspired recipes and what better way to kickoff this special holiday feature than with Kingston Springs local, “Hallmark Man”, Matt Wood.

Within the first ten seconds of listening to any of Matt’s songs, it is evident he is a seasoned songwriter and vocalist. Wood writes from the heart and life experiences with a meaningful story behind all of his songs. His warm voice and smooth delivery makes his recent release, “The Hallmark Man”, a perfect addition to your holiday playlist. Check out the video below as well as his SoundCloud for more original written tunes.

Now on to the food! Matt loves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, classic peanut butter and mayo sandwiches, shrimp, popcorn, summer sausage and his grandmother’s pumpkin pie cake. He was gracious enough to share the recipe card for Pumpkin Pie Cake made by his grandmother inspiring his original song , “Those Were The Days.”

After some thought, I decided to make a divine peanut butter and chocolate tart to pair wonderfully for those who’ve had their fill of pumpkin spice, peppermint and egg nog this holiday season. This rich and chocolaty treat packs a peanut butter surprise in the middle and is easy to make. Check out the recipe below!

Recipe Ingredients

  • About 30 Oreo Cookies (I had a bunch from a recent bake sale decor leftover)
  • 1/2 cup / 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 and 1/3 cup dark chocolate ( be sure to use good quality chocolate)
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Fresh roasted peanuts, crushed for garnish

Instructions

  1. Add all the Oreos whole to a food processor and pulse until fully crushed. Add 1/2 cup of melted butter and pulse again. Fold the mixture to make sure the cookie crumbs and butter are evenly distributed.
  2. In a nine-inch tart pan (you can use miniature pans if you like) press the cookie mixture into the pan on the bottom and sides. Once complete, put the tart crust in the fridge while you work on your filling.
  3. Add the peanut butter, 1/4 cup of butter and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat together on low speed until well incorporated. Then,add the milk and then turn the speed up a little to make the mixture more smooth.
  4. Pour the peanut butter mixture over your Oreo crust you’ve had in the fridge and then place the whole pie back into the fridge.
  5. Next, its ganache time! Roughly chop the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of butter in a mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat up your heavy cream until it is hot to touch but not boiling over. Make sure to gently wisk for the chocolate to stay smooth and pour the cream over the chocolate.
  6. Cover your tart and let cool for 5 minutes.
  7. Set in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to set. Cut into slices and serve. Garnish with crushed peanuts.