Irish Coffee Cheesecake Squares

Irish Coffee Cheesecake Squares are a lighter alternative to regular cheesecake, and they have a hint of coffee and whiskey just to keep it all interesting!

Once I had the first batch of my Homemade Irish Cream in the fridge, I set about dreaming up ways to use it, and so these Irish Coffee Cheesecake Bars were born.   These are simple, straight up cheesecake bars, with the requisite super creamy texture and buttery crust…but lets just say these are cheesecake bars with benefits…like hits of caffeine and whiskey, just to make sure you’re paying attention. The coffee and whiskey flavors cut the sweetness in these bars just a bit, making it feel less heavy than some cheesecakes can be.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Cheesecake in any form is a bit underrepresented on this blog, so I’ve set about remedying that with these cheesecake bars. Cheesecake in bar form is a lot more user friendly than a giant cake, and the smaller portions suit the rich flavor combination and texture in this recipe.  If you don’t have a batch of my homemade Irish Cream, you can always substitute some whiskey-spiked heavy cream or half and half.

This recipe calls for instant, or powdered, espresso.  You can find powdered espresso in small jars right in the same area as regular coffee in your grocery store.  It’s great for baking because it dissolves instantly and gives whatever you are making a nice deep coffee flavor.

I’m a big fan of all desserts in bar-form. If you love a good cheesecake bar like me, but prefer the no-bake variety, definitely check out my No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, or my No Bake Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Squares, too!

NOTE: recipe adapted from Bake or Break.

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3.88 from 8 votes

Irish Coffee Cheesecake Squares

Irish Coffee Cheesecake Squares are a lighter alternative to regular cheesecake, and they have a hint of coffee and whiskey just to keep it all interesting!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

crust

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• pinch salt

filling

• 16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Homemade Irish Cream
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder not ground coffee
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

garnish

• sweetened whipped cream
• shaved chocolate

Instructions

• Set oven to 350F
• To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar and then blend in the flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly. Pat into a buttered 9x13 pan, pressing down slightly with your fingers to get an even layer.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Make the filling by creaming the cream cheese and sugar together. Make sure your ingredients are at true room temperature to avoid a lumpy batter.
• Beat in the homemade Irish Cream, and then the eggs, one at a time.
• Blend in the instant espresso, cocoa powder, vanilla, and flour.
• Turn the batter out onto the crust and smooth out evenly.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes just until the cheesecake is set.
• Let cool before slicing.
• Serve with whipped cream, and garnish with shaved chocolate.

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