Baileys Cheesecakes (easy homemade cookie crust!)

These Baileys cheesecakes feature a simple and totally from scratch chocolate cookie crust with a creamy, boozy cheesecake filling! They can be made with all-purpose flour, gluten-free or whole wheat flour.

Ingredients

For the crust:

▢ 6 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar or raw sugar
▢ 6 tablespoons (49 grams) flour see notes
▢ 6 tablespoons (43 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
▢ pinch salt
▢ 4 1/2 tablespoons (63 grams) unsalted butter melted and cooled

For the cheesecake:

▢ 1 pound (450 grams) cream cheese (that's two 8-ounce packages)
▢ 2/3 cup (166 grams) granulated sugar or raw sugar or coconut sugar (which will result in much darker cheesecakes)
▢ 6 tablespoons Baileys make sure to use GF Irish cream, if necessary
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▢ pinch salt
▢ 2 large eggs (50 grams each, room temperature)

For the topping:

▢ 1/4 cup (60 ml) Baileys
▢ 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
▢ 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup or maple syrup or corn syrup
▢ pinch salt
▢ 1 ounce (28 grams or 2.5 tbsp) semi-sweet chocolate chopped

For decoration:

▢ mini chocolate chips and the above topping

Instructions

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a regular-sized muffin pan with 12 muffin liners. Note that this crust recipe does not work in a regular pie pan – only as mini cheesecakes.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry crust ingredients (sugar through salt). Then stir in the melted butter until totally combined. If it's sticky and hard to handle, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out a ball of dough. Roll into twelve 18-gram balls, flatten with your palm, and place in each muffin liner.
6 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons (49 grams) flour, 6 tablespoons (43 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt, 4 1/2 tablespoons (63 grams) unsalted butter
Press down the crusts, if necessary, so that they reach the edge of the liner.
Bake for 3 minutes, turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 4 minutes. They'll be very, very soft and appear uncooked but the very top surface should appear baked and not doughy. Don't bake them too long - if they start bubbling, they've baked too long, and they fry and get weird.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake.
Turn the temperature down to 275 ºF (135 ºC) after removing the crusts.

For the cheesecake:

With an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until well combined. Add the Baileys, vanilla, and salt and mix on low until combined.
1 pound (450 grams) cream cheese, 2/3 cup (166 grams) granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons Baileys, 1 teaspoon vanilla, pinch salt
Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir just until well incorporated. Do not over mix!
2 large eggs
Fill each cup almost to the top with batter and bake for 25 minutes or until the middle is set and doesn't jiggle. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours, and then refrigerate for another 2-4 hours or until firm.

To make the fudge topping:

In a small pot over medium heat, stir together the Baileys, cocoa powder, brown rice syrup and salt. Mix until smooth.
1/4 cup (60 ml) Baileys, 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, pinch salt
Bring it to a boil while stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Remove the pot from the heat, add the chocolate, and then stir until totally smooth.
1 ounce (28 grams or 2.5 tbsp) semi-sweet chocolate
Let it cool enough so that it doesn't melt the cheesecakes. If it thickens too much while cooling, gently reheat it until it's runny enough.
Refrigerate leftovers.
Use a little less than 1 1/2 teaspoons of fudge to top each cheesecake. Work quickly as the fudge firms up quickly. Top with mini chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They freeze great, with or without the topping.

Notes

For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or for GF, use 6 tablespoons (49 grams) buckwheat flour or 6 tablespoons (52 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Baking Flour.
Fudge topping adapted from Baileys fudge sauce on Cupcakes and Kale Chips.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.

Baileys Cheesecakes (easy homemade cookie crust!)

Ingredients

For the crust:

For the cheesecake:

For the topping:

For decoration:

Instructions

For the crust:

For the cheesecake:

To make the fudge topping:

Notes

Nutrition