Ingredients
for the crust
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
(I use Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer; you can also use Oreos, minus the filling)
for the filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut
for the chocolate
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or use chips)
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
First, make your crust, as it will need to be completely cool before filing. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare an 9 inch pie plate pan with baking spray. In a medium work bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, salt and crumbs in a bowl. Press into the bottom and sides of the plate and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 280F.
On a baking sheet, spread coconut out coconut evenly. Toast for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Check frequently as coconut burns easily. In the meantime, in a metal or glass work bowl set over a shallow pot of simmering water, melt chocolate, butter and cream together until smooth. Set aside, but do not allow to harden.
To make the filling, using your food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, coconut cream, egg, sugar and coconut extract and process again until smooth and fully combined.
To assemble: Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the cooled pie crust. Then pour the cream cheese filling over the base until not quite the height of the side crust. Carefully jiggle the pan to even out the top. Fill chocolate sauce into a squeeze bottle with a tiny tip and begin to pipe small circles in a swirl pattern over cheesecake (larger dots on the outside, smaller as you go inward). Take a toothpick or sharp pointy knife and beginning with the center circle, run
the toothpick through the center of each heart (don’t lift the toothpick out until you finish the last circle). Alternatively, you can just make random chocolate swirls with the chocolate sauce.
Create a water bath by placing the pie plate in a slightly larger roasting pan or baking dish. Carefully pour hot water halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake at 280Ffor a little over an hour, until the edges look set but the center jiggles slightly. Let cool on a rack, then cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
