Bust out your muffin pan… because we’re making Mini Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecakes! These little cuties feature an Oreo cookie crust, creamy Baileys cheesecake filling, and a thick layer of chocolate ganache! If you love Baileys, this is sure to become a favorite cheesecake recipe. And it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Mini Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake Recipe
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! And that means we’re busting out the BAILEYS! I usually make a full size Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake to celebrate, but this year we’re shaking things up with this mini version! How cute are these?!
Ingredients for Mini Baileys Cheesecakes
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese is a MUST here! And please make sure it’s nice and soft before making the batter.
- Sour Cream: Again, you want full fat! This gives our mini cheesecakes their rich and silly smooth texture.
- Sugar: Because Baileys is already quite sweet, we use less sugar than most other cheesecake recipes.
- Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs as well as an egg yolk. Be sure to bring your eggs to room temperature before adding them to the batter because cold ingredients don’t bond.
- Espresso Powder: I use this espresso powder and love the subtle coffee taste it adds to this cheesecake. If you cannot find it, it may be omitted.
- Baileys Irish Cream: You’ll need a 1/3 cup for the cheesecake batter. You can use any Irish cream, but Baileys is our favorite! I suggest buying a full-size bottle so you can make my Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies, too!
- Oreo Cookies: These will be finely pulsed and used for the chocolate cookie crust. And you don’t need to remove the white cream filling!!!
- Butter: This will be melted and used as a binder for the Oreo cookie crust.
- Chocolate: You’ll want to use 6 ounces of the good stuff! And I highly suggest using semi-sweet or dark chocolate to avoid your cheesecake being too sweet.
- Heavy cream: AKA whipping cream. And this ingredient is for the ganache!
PRO TIP: DO NOT OVER BEAT YOUR CHEESECAKE BATTER! THIS ALLOWS TOO MUCH AIR INTO THE CHEESECAKE BATTER, AND WILL CAUSE THE MINI CHEESECAKES TO EXCESSIVELY RISE IN THE OVEN, AND THEN COLLAPSE WHEN REMOVED. TO MAKE A SILKY SMOOTH BATTER WITHOUT OVERBEATING, BE SURE TO FULLY BLEND THE CREAM CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM BEFORE ADDING THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS.
And more good news: no mini cheesecake pan is required for this recipe! I bake these little cuties in a standard cupcake/muffin tin and you can, too! If you have mini cheesecake pans, you’ll need to adjust the cook time depending on the size of your pans.
Can I Freeze Mini Cheesecakes?
Yes, of course! Simply cool the cheesecakes completely, wrap them tightly in saran wrap, and then place them in a freezer bag. These mini cheesecakes will keep, stored properly in the freezer, for two months.
How do you Defrost Them?
To defrost these mini cheesecakes, simply remove from the freezer and thaw in refrigerator overnight. But do not attempt to thaw cheesecake in the microwave or oven!
When it comes to these mini cheesecakes, I don’t know what I love most.. the crunchy chocolate cookie crust, the creamy Baileys cheesecake filling, or the decadent chocolate ganache!!! Thankfully, I don’t have to choose!
P.S. if you’re not into the ganache topping, feel free to top each mini cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate syrup! That’ll give them an Irish coffee vibe you’re sure to love!
More Mini Cheesecakes:
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes
- Mini Cheesecakes
- Mini Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cheesecakes
- Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE FOR MINI BAILEYS CHEESECAKES, LET ME KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR KITCHEN CREATIONS MAKES OUR DAY.
Mini Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 2 dozen
Bust out your muffin pan... because we're making Mini Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecakes! These little cuties feature an Oreo cookie crust, creamy Baileys cheesecake filling, and a thick layer of chocolate ganache! If you love Baileys, this is sure to become a favorite cheesecake recipe. And it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
For the Oreo Cookie Crust:
- (1) regular full-size package Oreo Cookies, crushed into fine crumbs (36 sandwich cookies in total)
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter, melted
For the Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces Full-Fat Cream Cheese, very soft (use brick-style cream cheese for best results)
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs plus 1 Egg Yolk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground espresso powder
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Grated chocolate, for decoration, optional
Instructions
For the Oreo Cookie Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line two 12-mold muffin tins with paper liners. Spray liners lightly with non-stick spray and set aside until needed.
- Place the cookies in the body of a small food processor - or blender - and pulse until the cookies are very fine crumbs. In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and stir well to combine.
- Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners and press it firmly into the bottom of each mold.
- Bake crusts in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
- Reduce oven to 300°F.
For the Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake Filling:
- In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in the eggs and yolk and beat until combined.
- Turn the mixer off and, using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the Irish cream, mixing until evenly combined. Fold in the cinnamon and espresso powder.
- Divide the filling evenly among cups, pouring it on top of the prepared crust layer. The molds will be very full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the pans from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool to the touch, place the pans in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Once the cheesecakes are completely cool, you can remove them from the pan.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- Add the chopped chocolate to a medium-sized heatproof bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium-heat, heat the heavy cream just until it begins to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and vigorously whisk until melted and completely smooth. Add a little chocolate ganache to the top of each cooled cheesecake, then top with grated chocolate, if using.
- Refrigerate cheesecakes until ready to serve. Cheesecakes will keep, stored in the fridge and covered, for 3 days.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine American
These are so damn cute….!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
How long would you recommend for a mini cupcake pan,?
May I ask at what stage you are using baileys or don’t we use?
Thanks
YUM YUM YUM!
These were delicious and the instructions so easy to follow. I made them for my colleagues and everyone just raved about how good they were. The recipe did give me a few more than a dozen but that’s not something to complain about that’s for sure! Thank you for another knockout recipe! Happy Holidays!
Deniz,
It’s used at all stages.
Steve.