A sensational ending for a dinner party, cocktail party, or just about any event, these rich cheesecake-like bars always draw sighs of pure delight. The recipe comes from my early days as a caterer in Houston. I think they taste best cold, but no matter how they’re served, they disappear quickly.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch-square bars

　　

Chocolate Wafer Crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

　　18 chocolate sandwich cookies

　　

Cheesecake filling

12 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), coarsely chopped

　　1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

　　2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

　　1 cup sugar

　　5 large eggs, separated

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/4 cup Kahlúa

　　Pinch of kosher salt

　　

White Chocolate Topping

12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

　　1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

　　1/4 cup white crème de cacao (optional)

　　

Step 1

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE WAFER CRUST: Line the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the foil-lined pan with melted butter. In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the chocolate cookies into crumbs (or put the cookies between 2 layers of waxed paper and crush with a rolling pin). Combine the remaining melted butter (you should have at least 7 tablespoons) with the cookie crumbs. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the foil-lined pan.

　　

Step 2

TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large metal bowl set over a pan filled with 2 inches of simmering water, melt the dark chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and the 1 cup sugar on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently with a rubber spatula. Add the chocolate-cream mixture, vanilla, Kahlúa, and salt and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and a clean bowl, whip the egg whites on high speed until firm peaks form. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate-cream cheese mixture. Spoon the filling evenly over the chocolate crumb crust. Bake the bars for 30 minutes; the filling will rise and will be almost set. Turn off the heat and leave the bars in the oven for 30 more minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

　　

Step 3

TO MAKE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE TOPPING: In a large metal bowl set over a pan filled with 2 inches of simmering water, melt the white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the cream and the crème de cacao, if you wish. Pour the mixture over the cooled cheesecake. Freeze overnight, making sure you keep the pan level or the white chocolate topping will set unevenly. When ready to serve, lift the foil out of the pan and set on a work surface. Using a long, sharp knife, cut the cake into 1 1/2-inch-square bars. Dip the knife in hot water and wipe it clean between cuts, or the bars lose their perfect black-and-white look.

　　

do it early

Step 4

The uncut cheesecake can be made up to 3 weeks in advance, wrapped, and frozen until ready to cut and serve.

　　

tip

Step 5

Be sure to use real white chocolate made with cacao butter for the topping. Some products labeled “white chocolate” include other, cheaper, and often unhealthier fats for the cocoa butter. Read labels carefully to ensure you are getting the real thing. I like Green & Black’s excellent organic white chocolate bar made with 30 percent cacao butter.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.