Irish Cream Cheesecake Little Bits™

Growing up my dad always called me Little Bit, so when I had a cheesecake business and wanted a unique name for the bite-sized cheesecakes we sold, I named them Little Bits™. They were hugely popular at weddings and other functions and enabled people to sample multiple flavors in one sitting.

I recently came across Five Farms Irish Cream and decided to give it a try. It is truly THE most rich and delicious Irish Cream I have tasted….must be those free and happy County Cork Cows!

So for St. Paddy’s Day I made up a batch of Irish Cream Little Bits™ as a treat. I don’t make cheesecake much since closing our business, but I do still make it for friends and relatives upon request. It’s important to use high quality ingredients to get the most decadent taste possible, so don’t scrimp on your dairy…go for the best when making cheesecake, I promise you will notice the difference!

It’s important when baking cheesecake to bring your cheese and eggs up to room temperature so the batter mixes smoothly and you don’t have lumps in the cheesecake. If you forget to do this, you can place your eggs in a bowl and cover it with warm tap water to bring them to room temp quickly. You can also place the unwrapped cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power for 30-60 seconds, but it is preferable to let it rest on the counter for about 1 hour prior to mixing if you have the time.

Always start by preheating your oven before you begin the crust and batter. That way the oven can be fully preheated and the interior saturated fully with heat for the best baking results.

Irish Cream Cheesecake Little Bits™ – makes about 50

Preheat oven to 325° – be sure to preheat oven fully before beginning baking

Crust Ingredients:

• 8 oz Oreo or other chocolate cookies
• 2 oz melted butter
• pinch salt

Crush cookies in food processor, then add melted butter and salt and pulse until combined. Press into bottom of mini muffin cups and bake for 10 minutes at 325°

Batter Ingredients:

• 16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1/3 cup Irish Cream Liqueur (I used Five Farms)

Place cream cheese and sugar in a mixer and mix together until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently.  Add cocoa powder and coffee or espresso and mix well until batter color is smooth and consistent.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing between and scraping bowl.  Add Irish Cream and stir to mix thoroughly.  Fill mini muffin cups to about ¾ full with batter, approximately one tablespoon per cup.  A small spring loaded scoop works great for this!  Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes, or until set.  If the cheesecake bites begin to crack, they are done. Ideally you want to remove them from the oven before this happens, but no worries, you are going to top them with ganache and cover up any imperfections!

 

 

Ganache Ingredients:

• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa)
• ½ cup heavy cream

Place chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave 30 seconds on high, then stir.  Continue microwaving 20 seconds at a time, stirring between until mixture is smooth and there are no chunks of chocolate left.  Pour into a measuring cup or a squirt bottle and top each cheesecake bite with a dollop of ganache in the center. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving.