Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie Bars

Brayden turned two Thursday September 28. The party was the Sunday before (September 24) at our apartment. Sixteen adults and three children at the apartment from one PM to five PM. The cake was a two-tiered six-and-four-inch chocolate-and-vanilla layer-cake. The smash-cake was a small four-inch chocolate-cake for Brayden. The party was the second-birthday-party and was the small mile-marker of how much the family has grown since the first-birthday-party twelve months ago.

The chocolate and coconut cream pie bars are a kid-and-adult dessert — a graham-cracker crust, a chocolate-pudding layer, a vanilla-cream layer, a toasted-coconut topping. The bars are the kind of dessert that pleases all ages and that holds its shape on a paper-plate at a children’s-birthday-party.

The technique question is the layer-setting. The chocolate-pudding layer needs to be cooled and set before the vanilla-cream layer goes on. The vanilla-cream layer needs to be cooled and set before the coconut-topping goes on. The whole bar needs to set in the refrigerator for at least four hours before slicing.

I made a 9x13 pan of the bars Friday for the Sunday party. The bars were on the dessert table next to the smash-cake-and-two-tiered-cake. Brayden had a small piece of plain cream-layer (no chocolate, no coconut, no graham). The bars covered most of the adult-dessert-consumption.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full sheets)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Coconut Cream Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 large eggs
For the Topping:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut cream (reserved from can)
1/4 cup toasted shredded coconut, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy lifting. Lightly grease the parchment.
Make the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool slightly.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk, coconut cream, vanilla extract, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until fully combined and no lumps remain. Fold in the shredded coconut.
Bake the bars. Pour the coconut cream filling evenly over the warm crust. Bake at 325°F for 22–25 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has just a slight jiggle. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.
Make the chocolate topping. Combine chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons coconut cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Pour and spread evenly over the cooled filling.
Chill and set. Refrigerate the pan for at least 1 hour, or until the chocolate topping is fully set. Once set, use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Sprinkle with toasted shredded coconut, then slice into 16 bars.
Store and pack. Keep bars refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They travel well in a lunchbox with a small ice pack.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie Bars