“Made these for St Patricks Day last year and they were a huge hit with everybody, I’m making them again this year, thank you for the recipe!” ~Ruth
Irish coffee cheesecake bars
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.
more desserts with Irish Cream
what you’ll need
- Irish Cream ~ homemade or store bought Baileys. It’s a cream based liqueur made with Irish whiskey and a little sugar. (My recipe for homemade Baileys Irish Cream is so easy!)
- cream cheese ~ use brick style cream cheese, and be sure to let it come to room temperature first.
- butter ~ I always bake with unsalted butter. If all you have is salted, leave out the extra salt in the recipe.
- sugar
- eggs ~ I bake with large eggs, and again, have them at room temperature for the smoothest cheesecake filling.
- flour ~ all purpose flour
- instant espresso ~ this is a very finely ground instant coffee that you’ll find with the rest of the coffee products in your supermarket. It’s great for baking because it dissolves instantly and gives whatever you are making a nice deep coffee flavor.
- cocoa powder ~ this is unsweetened, any brand you like.
- vanilla extract
- salt
- whipped cream and shaved chocolate for the garnish
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 store bought bottle of Baileys.
more bar desserts
I’m a big fan of all desserts in bar-form, they’re so user friendly!
Irish Coffee Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
crust
- 1/2 cup 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 Irish Cream liqueur
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
garnish
- sweetened whipped cream
- shaved chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9×13 pan.
- To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar and then blend in the flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly. Pat into your prepared 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 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.
Video
Nutrition
Could this be made in a spring pan? Planning to make this for St. Patrick’s Day.
This is delicious and not to sweet.My crust is a little though,any ideas?
This might be my new favorite recipe! Creamy cheesecake with Irish coffee? I am in heaven!!
Dry
Can’t wait to try this – looks amazing! Could the recipe be halved and baked in either an 8×8 or 9×9 pan?
I don’t see why not.
Sue, I’m confused. In your blog notes you write that homemade Irish cream or store-bought Baileys can be used. But then in the comments on page 1 you tell “PURPLEQUEEN” that if using Baileys as a substitute for homemade Irish cream, you think you “would combine Baileys with some cream or half and half just to be safe”.
???? Just follow your blog notes and use either one interchangeably????
Follow my notes, Carolyn, I’ll check the comment and correct if necessary.
So delicious and creamy and the coffee/chocolate/Irish cream flavor combo is absolutely perfect!
Ahh! I need this in my life immediately. Everything about this is amazing. Cheesecake is always a winner but when you add the Irish coffee to it? Perfection.
That’s in step 5, the Irish Cream liqueur.
Well, this combines two of my favorite things! Irish coffee and cheesecake. I’m going to save this to make for dessert on St. Patrick’s Day.