Chocolate Haystack Cheesecake Bites

When I was a teenager, my siblings used to make fun of me for putting coconut in almost everything. I'm a coconut enthusiast--what can I say? None of them will be surprised to see a version of this divine recipe that I discovered at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, then made a few minor changes to. If you are as crazy for coconut and chocolate as I am, you will have mounds of good things to say about this familiar concoction.

I'm supposed to provide refreshments for a baptism at the church in a couple of days, so I've made these these Chocolate Haystack Cheesecake Bites and put them into the freezer, and hope they will be pleasing to our Taiwanese congregation.


Here's everything you will need to make them, only nine ingredients--five for the crust and four for the top layer.
I use this Flexipan, which nothing sticks to, and they simply pop right out.
CRUST:
2 cups firmly packed ground graham cracker crumbs (from about 19 rectangles)
2 cups coconut
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1-1/2 cups coconut

Preparing the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and coconut. Place chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for one minute at 50% power. Stir. Microwave for 30 to 40 more seconds or until the chocolate mixture is melted and smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly until lukewarm to the touch. Quickly whisk in the egg. Stir the chocolate mixture into the graham cracker and coconut mixture. Use a small stainless steel scoop to fill silicon mini muffin pan. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes.

Preparing the cream cheese layer: Beat the cream cheese and sugar on high speed in a stand mixer until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Ladle spoons full of the mixture into a Wilton easy pour funnel, then fill each of the individual chocolate-coconut crusts in the mini muffin pan. Sprinkle coconut evenly over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top layer is just set and golden brown. Pop out of the silicone mini muffin cups and serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 60.