Irish Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
1 ¾ cup chocolate chip cookie crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish cream
Filling
16 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (not chips)
¼ cup Baileys Irish cream
1 ½ cup full fat heavy whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup full fat heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish cream
Steps
For the crust
If not already crushed, crumble 1 ¾ cups of chocolate chip cookies
Mix chocolate chip cookie crumbs with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 tablespoon of Bailey’s Irish Cream
Transfer cookie mixture to a 9 inch round springform pan
Press cookie mixture down firmly all over the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan with the bottom of a flat measuring cup or a spoon
Refrigerate the cookie crust while the cheesecake filling is being prepared
For the filling
Melt 8 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth
In a mixing bowl, beat 16 ounces of softened cream cheese until smooth
Add in ½ cup of granulated sugar and half of the cocoa powder and continue to beat until well combined
Pour in ¼ cup of the Bailey’s Irish cream and mix until smooth
Add in the melted chocolate and combine
In another small bowl, beat 1 ½ cups of full fat heavy whipping cream with a mixer until the cream starts to thicken
Slowly add in a ½ cup of powdered sugar, the remaining half of cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form
Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in 2 batches
Add the cheesecake filling to the prepared crust and spread evenly
Refrigerate
For the topping
In a bowl, beat 1 cup of full fat heavy whipping cream, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish cream with an electric mixer
Spread the whipped topping all over the cheesecake layer
Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight