Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes

Woo-hoo! Today is St. Patrick’s Day!!! It is here, it is here! And to finish off my annual St. Patrick’s Day recipe run I give you: Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes!

These little luxurious gems might be small, but they are big on taste. I mean I really don’t have to describe it much at all – I can just say Baileys Cheesecake. Nuff said really. Everyone knows cheesecake is scrumptious and when you add some silky smooth Baileys into the mix – well  – sheer perfection. I should mention that I have also topped these little tempters with a Baileys whipped cream as well. You know, once you’ve got the Baileys out, why stop?

Folks absolutely love Baileys. In fact, on December 3rd, 2007, the manufacturers of the beloved liqueur, announced the sale of the billionth bottle of Baileys since it was first introduced. A billion is a lot right? But you’re probably thinking, yeah but Baileys has been around for ever. They’ve had a lot of time to get to 1 billion. You’d be wrong. Baileys wasn’t introduced until 1973! Hard to believe! Baileys was the first Irish Cream to go on the market as well. There have certainly been plenty of  imitators since then, but Baileys continues to rule supreme.

Although a big huge honking Baileys Cheesecake is truly impressive, these decadent little bite sized indulgences have a lot going for them. They are super portable, so if you’re in a rush to get out to the parade or onto the next festivity, you can just pop one in your mouth and grab another to go. (Yeah – I did write that previous line before we all found ourselves in the social distancing situation we are now enduring…I guess I should say you can grab one out of the fridge quickly and get right back to your Netflix-a-thon without missing a thing) Easy-peasy. And you won’t fall into a cheesecake induced sugar coma like you might if you ate a big old slice of cheesecake. Plus they’re so small, I’m sure they barely have any calories at all in them. Not that you should be thinking of calories on St. Patrick’s Day…

Well I guess that finishes my annual St. Patrick’s Day run. I’ve gotta admit, this is the strangest St. Patrick’s Day I can remember what with all the Covid 19 closures, cancellations and quarantines going on around the world. Definitely scary times. Things will likely be weird for awhile, but hopefully if we can work together we will be able to weather this storm. Friends in Ireland forwarded me an inspiring St. Patrick’s Day message from their President, Michael D. Higgins, which I will leave you with now.

I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daiobh (Happy St. Patrick’s Day)!

 

• Servings: 12 mini cheesecakes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (32 grans) almond flour or 1/3 cup (28 grams) ground almonds
• 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons (85 grams) butter, cold

For the Batter:

• 1 cup (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) heavy cream or sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 Tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Toppings:

For the Baileys Whipped Cream:

• 3/4 Cup (180 ml) whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
• Baileys Cookie (optional), Valhrona Dark Chocolate Crunchy Pearls (optional) Chocolate covered espresso beans (optional)

Directions:

For the Crust:

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, or rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Or simply pulse the mixture in a food processor until combined. Sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of water if the dough is too crumbly to hold together when squeezed.

Divide the crumbs among the 12 cups of a mini cheesecake pan. Press them firmly into the bottoms and about 1/2″ up the sides. I used a medium sized cookie scoop to fill the wells with crust and then used a cork to tamp the crust down and hollow out a space in the center. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until set and just beginning to color. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

For the Batter:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the cream, egg, vanilla and Baileys; mix well. Spoon the batter into the cooled crusts, using about 2 tablespoons in each. Again the medium sized cookie scoop works well here.

Bake the cheesecakes for 18 to 20 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes — the tops will sink slightly. Use a knife to gently loosen the edges. Pick the pan up and gently and carefully push the individual cakes up until you can lift them from the pan. Put them in the fridge to chill. To remove the metal plates before serving, run the blade of a table knife under hot water to warm it, then run the knife between the crust and the metal disk to free up the cheesecake. I was actually able to easily pop the metal plates off the bottom of the cakes when I first removed them from the pan.

Make the Baileys Whipped Cream: Place the cold whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attached. While whisking the cream, slowly add the sugar and the Baileys. Continue to mix until glossy peaks form.

Just before serving, pipe some Bailey’s Whipped cream on the top and garnish with Baileys cookie or chocolate shavings if desired.

Enjoy!

Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Series 5 Qt. Stand Mixer

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Norpro Nonstick Mini Cheesecake Pan