Rich, velvety German chocolate cheesecake with toasted coconut and a crumbly chocolate cookie crust drizzled with even more chocolate. A chocolate and coconut lover's dream.
Ingredients
For the crust:
12 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies (I used gluten-free)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
For the cheesecake:
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
6 ounces dark chocolate (+ extra for drizzling later), melted and cooled (or milk chocolate or Baker's German chocolate if you can find it!)
⅔ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
For the coconut topping:
¾ cup shredded coconut
⅓ cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons coconut oil
⅓ cup full fat canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon bourbon, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10" springform pan with nonstick spray. Wrap a layer of tinfoil tightly around the outside of the pan. Set aside.
To make the crust, pulse chocolate sandwich cookies in your food processor until they become fine crumbs. Stream in coconut oil. Press crust into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Bake until just set, about 7-10 minutes. Let cool.
To make the cheesecake beat cream cheese, melted chocolate and brown sugar together in a large bowl until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined. Add vanilla and almond extracts and continue beating until no lumps remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Pour cheesecake batter over crust. Place in a water bath (in a larger pan filled with 1-2" water) and bake until fully set, 50-55 minutes. Cool for 30-60 minutes before adding topping.
To make coconut topping, combine shredded coconut, brown sugar, coconut oil and coconut milk in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and stir for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Pour onto cooled cheesecake. Drizzle with extra melted chocolate and top with toasted coconut, if desired. Cover and chill in the refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Recipe by Ari's Menu at https://arismenu.com/german-chocolate-cheesecake/