Noir Bars

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Combine the rest of the cookie base ingredients and stir until well-blended. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a greased 13×9″ pan and bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

In the meantime, work on the cheesecake filling. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter and 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the remaining 6 Tablespoons of butter with the cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla, and then beat in the cooled chocolate mix. Spoon the filling over the cooled cookie base. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, approximately 2 hours.

For the ganache, heat the cream, chocolate, and instant coffee over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cool until lukewarm and then pour over the filling. Refrigerate uncovered until set, about 2 hours. Store covered in the refrigerator.