For Father’s Day, my father said he wanted cheesecake. Flipping through my very favorite cheesecake book, I Love Cheesecake by Mary Crownover, I found what I had to make for him. Chocolate Coconut Almond Cheesecake. Essentially, it’s an Almond Joy cheesecake. This I knew he would love. His aunt used to make him a cake very similar to this every year for his birthday. I actually found her recipe for that cake the other day, but I’ll save that one for another day.
Before I go any further, I want to emphasize how good this cookbook is. No, there aren’t many pictures, as some like to have in their cookbook, but I have yet to make a recipe from this book that didn’t work perfectly. So, do yourself a favor. If you like cheesecakes, buy this book. Okay, on with the recipe.
First, the crust. Crush 18 Oreos and mix with 5 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread this mixture into the bottom of a greased cheesecake pan. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of almonds that have been toasted and coarsely chopped. This recipe is for a 9-inch pan, but I used a 10-inch and it was fine. I did add a few more cookies and some extra butter for the crust.
For the coconut-almond filling, beat 24 ounces of softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of corn starch. Add 3 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, one at a time, to this mixture. Blend well after adding each egg. Stir in 1/2 cup cream of coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1 & 1/4 teaspoons of almond extract. Add 2/3 cup of flaked or freshly grated coconut and 1/2 cup of toasted, chopped almonds. Pour the filling onto the crust.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, reduce the heat to 200 degrees. Bake for 2 hours or until set. Run a knife around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 2 more hours. Then, chill overnight.
Just to make this even better, there is a chocolate sour cream topping. Combine 6 ounces of milk or semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly. After this has melted, spread over cheesecake. Garnish with coconut and chopped almonds. Chill cheesecake until ready to serve.
The cheesecake turned out beautifully, without a crack in sight. It did, indeed, taste very much like an Almond Joy candy bar. The consistency was wonderful – very creamy. The topping was rich and complemented the cheesecake nicely.
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August 29th, 2006 at 10:24 am
This cheesecake is so good! Jennifer made it for Father’s Day for our Dad, and he absolutely loved it!
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Can anyone suggest a recipe for Root Beer cheesecake? My husband turns 30 this week and has been dropping some serious hints that this is the dessert he’d like me to make for him.
Thanks!!
Dena
December 7th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
dear dena, my husband also was so eager for a root beer cheesecake, and i finally found one on the internet for ROOT BEER FLOAT CHEESECAKE…it’s on the internet and absolutely incredibly delicious! Try it, and let me know, Susan.
incredibly deliciously! Try it! Your hubby will love it…let me know, Susan.
December 7th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
the root beer float cheesecake is fantastic…my husband loves it and yours will too! let me know…good luck, susan.
March 7th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
The recipe for chocolate coconut almond cheesecake does’t mention baking the oreo crust or placing the cheesecake in a water bath. Since these are common prectice it would be best to mention omitting these so it doesn’t leave one guessing. I am baking mine now and hope it turns out. I did bake the crust for about 9 minutes at 350 but did not place pan in hot water!