Recipe: White-Chocolate Coconut Cream Bars
Coconut cream filling:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
- 1¼ ounces (scant ½ cup) unsweetened finely shredded dried coconut
- White-chocolate shortbread layer:
- Butter for pan
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups cake flour, sifted then measured
Dark ganache topping:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1. To make the filling: In a saucepan heat cream over medium-high heat just until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat, add white chocolate and stir until smooth and melted. Stir in coconut. Pour into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the top of the chocolate. Let sit at room temperature at least 3 hours.
2. To make the shortbread layer: Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch sheet pan or quarter sheet pan. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the semisweet chocolate for 1 minute. Place in a small bowl, removing any larger pieces, and reprocess those briefly. (Be careful not to overprocess.) The finished chocolate should be ground to pieces about 1/16 to 1/8 inch. Set aside.
3. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate over low heat. Remove the top of the boiler when chocolate is nearly melted and continue stirring until glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. Return to the double boiler only briefly if chocolate begins to set up.
4. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream sugar and butter on medium-high speed. Add melted and cooled white chocolate and blend thoroughly on medium-high speed. Add sifted cake flour and processed dark chocolate. Mix on low speed until dough begins to hold together. Remove from mixing bowl and gently knead a few times to thoroughly mix. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
5. To bake bars: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Bake the chilled shortbread crust until lightly golden and slightly puffed, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
6. To assemble bars: Place coconut cream filling in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until filling is lighter in both color and texture, less than 1 minute. Spread filling evenly and smoothly over baked, cooled shortbread layer.
7. To make ganache and finish bars: In a pot heat cream over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in finely chopped chocolate until smooth. Let cool until about 80 to 85 degrees. Slowly pour over the coconut filling, spreading evenly to the edges. Let set at room temperature about 1 hour, or place in refrigerator to cool quickly, about 20 minutes. To cut, score filling with a sharp knife where you wish to cut. Then slice through base with a long, sharp blade. Remove bars with a spatula. Store in a sealed container in refrigerator as long as a week.
From "Pure Chocolate" by Fran Bigelow.