ChocCoConut Cheesecake Bites

So, last month I went grocery shopping on an empty stomach... always a bad idea. I'm pretty sure I ended up spending just shy of a million dollars and got a bunch of junk I didn't even need. For example, a bag of  shredded coconut. Like, what? There's no way that was on my grocery list. This week I finally got around to getting back to the store to grab some other ingredients so I could put that coconut to use. And boy am I glad that I did!

Now, before I can tell you how to make them, there is one disclaimer I have to make. This tasty treat has to sit in the fridge overnight before you can dive in! I thought I'd get that out of the way now just in case (hypothetically of course) you thought that you'd be able to wrap up your baking just in time to sit on the couch and watch an episode of The Bachelorette while enjoying a delicious treat only to realize at the end of the recipe that it would be off limits for the next 8 hours. Now that you've been warned...

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups shredded coconut
2 cups finely ground graham crackers (15 rectangles)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup AND 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick butter
3 large eggs AND 5 large egg yolks
12oz cream cheese (room temp)

PART 1:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and then butter a 9"x13" baking pan.
    Line with parchment paper and butter the parchment.

2. Using a blender, blend graham crackers (do half at a time) until fine.
    Stir together in a bowl with 2 cups of coconut.

3. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons of sugar.
    Then add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat, let cool for
    a minute, then whisk in 1 egg.

4. Combine chocolate mixture with coconut and graham cracker mixture
    then press evenly into prepared pan.

PART 2:

5. Beat cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar in a large bowl on a high speed until
    smooth. Next, add 2 eggs  plus the 5 egg yolks and beat on a medium speed.

6. Pour this mixture over the cooled crust and then sprinkle 1 cup of
    coconut over the top.

7. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown,
    making sure to rotate the pan halfway through.

8. Let cool on a wire rack then refrigerate overnight (UGH!)

9. Cut into 1 inch pieces and serve!

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