Samoa Caramel Coconut (Printable Version)

Creamy vanilla filling, chunky toasted coconut, sweet ribbons of caramel, chocolate on top, and that classic Oreo crumb base.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crust

01 - A bit of salt
02 - 56 g melted butter
03 - 24 Oreo cookies, crushed super fine

→ Filling

04 - 3 eggs
05 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
06 - 240 g plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
07 - 200 g granulated sugar
08 - 680 g neufchatel (low-fat) cream cheese, let it get soft

→ Topping

09 - 115 g dark chocolate
10 - 420 g caramel dip or sauce
11 - 180 g shredded sweet coconut

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Wrap your springform pan up with two heavy-duty foil layers, then grease the inside. Turn your oven on to 163°C. The foil helps keep any water from sneaking in.
02 - Mix butter, Oreo crumbs, and salt all together. Dump that into the bottom of your pan and push it down firm. Now set the pan into a roasting dish that’s bigger than your springform.
03 - Pop the softened neufchatel into a bowl and beat it smooth for about 3 minutes. Pour in the sugar and mix for another 60 seconds. Add yogurt plus vanilla and give it another minute while scraping down the sides. Crack in one egg at a time, beating slow and gentle—don’t overdo it.
04 - Spread your cream cheese mix over the crust. Get some water boiling and carefully pour it into the outer roasting dish so it comes about 2.5 cm up around the pan.
05 - Move everything to your oven’s lower third rack. Let it bake around 90 minutes, just until the center is still a bit jiggly. Switch the oven off, peek the door open, and leave it to chill inside for an hour.
06 - Take out the cheesecake, run a knife all along the edge so it won’t stick, and let it sit out until it’s room temp. Put it in the fridge to chill out for at least 4 hours or overnight.
07 - Crank the oven up to 177°C. Spread all your coconut on a lined baking sheet so it’s nice and even. Toast for 6 minutes, stir a little, and go another 3–4 minutes until golden. Pop it into a mixing bowl to cool off.
08 - Add in 240 g of your caramel to the cooled coconut and mix until the coconut’s coated all over. If the caramel is too thick, warm it up a little and try again.
09 - Spread out 120 g of caramel on your cold cheesecake. Dump the caramel-coconut mix on top and gently press so it sticks. Make it cover the whole top.
10 - Melt your chocolate and put it in a piping bag or a small bag with the corner snipped. Drizzle this over the coconut, then repeat with the last of the caramel for some extra flair.
11 - Pop it back in the fridge for at least 15 minutes so the top sets firm. Cut into slices to serve, or keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

# Additional Notes:

01 - Letting it cool slow in the oven keeps big cracks away.
02 - Don’t walk away from toasting coconut—it goes from perfect to burnt in a flash.
03 - Cream cheese should be soft for an extra-smooth batter.

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