German chocolate cheesecake bars

I love making cheesecakes but hardly ever remember to buy cream cheese. And there are times when I happily bring home cream cheese packets only to remember, upon arriving, that there are no cookies for the cheesecake base. That's me - I can remember lines from a movie I saw 10 years ago but can't write a proper grocery list. :)
Last week, however, I managed to buy all the necessary ingredients on the same day. I wanted a special cheesecake and I knew exactly where to look for it: the lovely "Tea with Bea" has several cheesecake recipes and they all look amazing. These bars are delicious and since they are very rich a little goes a long way: you can share them with your family and friends.

German chocolate cheesecake bars
slightly adapted from the oh, so beautiful Tea With Bea

Base:
150g digestive cookies
45g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
400g cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons corn starch
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
175g dark chocolate, chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
37g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
4 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted and cooled
½ cup (55g) pecans, lightly toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan, line it with foil leaving two overhangs in opposite sides and butter the foil as well.
Crust: place the cookies in a food process and process until finely ground. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to the base of the prepared pan and press it firmly with your hands. Refrigerate it while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula to loosen it up a little. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Add the egg, mix to combine. Sift the corn starch over the mixture and whisk until combined, removing any lumps. Stir in the heavy cream and the vanilla. Pour over the base and bake for about 35 minutes or until slightly jiggly in the center and the top doesn’t look shiny or wet anymore. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Topping: place the cream and honey in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. Heat until it starts to boil, remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute, then gently stir until melted. Stir in the salt, vanilla and butter, and mix until butter is completely melted. Cool to room temperature – the mixture will thicken as it cools (do not refrigerate).
Spread the chocolate mixture over the cheesecake. Sprinkle with the coconut, then the pecans. Spread the dulce de leche on top by the spoonfuls.
Carefully remove from the pan using the foil and cut into squares or bars.

Makes 16