Black Bottom Coconut Cream Pie Bars

November 9, 2019Brianna

This recipe isn’t a quick, throw together type dessert to make but it is delicious and rich and fantastic to bring to a dinner and serves at least 12 people. You can easily double this recipe and make a full 9×13 pan of this to feed 24+ people if serving a crowd. It’s an impressive dessert that isn’t overly technical but just takes a bit of time and arm muscle for stirring. I personally think it’s a fun one to make. I love this recipe. This would be a great dessert to bring for Thanksgiving dessert because it’s pie but in bar form. Shortbread crust far exceeds the average pie crust so it tastes even better than a traditional coconut cream pie in my opinion!

Black Bottom Coconut Cream Pie Bars

Print Recipe

A delicious shortbread crust, a layer of delicious chocolate, a creamy custard and coconut layer with whipped cream and toasted coconut on top.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes active, 3 hours inactive
Yield: 12 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Shortbread Crust:

½ cup butter

1 cup flour

¼ cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache:

6 Tablespoons heavy cream

4 oz chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate

Custard:

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup milk

1 ½ cups canned coconut milk

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup corn starch

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup coconut flakes

1/4 tsp coconut extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

½ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

Shortbread Crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare a 9×9 or 10×10 baking dish with parchment paper so the parchment paper comes up on the sides. Combine the flour and the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter in with either a pastry blender, a food processor, or even your fingers or a fork. Bake 16-20 minutes or until light brown on top. Set on a wire rack. Keep oven preheated for coconut toasting.

Toast coconut for the topping: Spread about 1/2 cup of the coconut flakes out on a baking sheet and toast for a few minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the coconut is golden brown. Spread it out on a plate to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache:

While the shortbread is baking, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave. Once the cream reaches a simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Stir until a smooth ganache has formed. Set it aside until your crust is finished and has cooled for 15 minutes. Pour it over the crust (the crust will still be warm). Place the chocolate covered crust in the fridge (or freezer for even faster cooling) to chill until the ganache is set into a firm layer.

Custard:

Combine the cream, milk, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. This took about 20 minutes for me. (if you have any tiny cooked egg pieces in the custard you can strain through a fine mesh strainer but if you whisk constantly you shouldn’t have this problem) Add coconut and vanilla extracts and the 1 1/2 cups of untoasted coconut and stir. Let the custard cool down for 15-20 minutes before pouring this filling over the chilled ganache. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and stick the whole thing in the fridge to chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Whipped Cream Topping:

Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until the cream forms stiff peaks. Gently spread the whipped cream over the bars. Sprinkle on toasted coconut. Chill until ready to serve. Use the parchment paper to pull the bars out of the dish, slice with a sharp knife, and enjoy!