Ingredients
26 Oreo cookies
4 tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for pan
Pinch of kosher salt
4 (8-oz.) bars cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
4 large eggs
2/3 c. Baileys Irish Cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 325º and butter an 8" or 9" springform pan. Make crust: In a food processor, blend Oreos with melted butter and salt. Pat into a springform pan and set aside while you make filling.Step 2Make cheesecake: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth and fluffy. Add cornstarch, then add eggs. Add Baileys and vanilla.Step 3Pour batter into crust and place on a large baking sheet. Step 4Bake until center of cheesecake is only slightly jiggly, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cool, 4 hours or up to overnight. (If you’d like to use a water bath, tightly wrap outside of springform pan with two layers of aluminum foil. Transfer to a deep roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the cheesecake pan. Bake as directed.) Step 5When ready to serve, make ganache: In a small saucepan over low heat, heat heavy cream. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour hot cream on top. Let sit 3 minutes, then stir until creamy, until no lumps remain. Refrigerate ganache until slightly thick, 15 minutes, and spread all over cheesecake. Let set 10 minutes, then serve.
The Crust Sure, graham cracker crusts are great. But an OREO crust?! Sign us all the way up! The best part about an Oreo crust is that the cream helps bind it together, so you don’t need to use too much butter. Golden Oreos would be a delicious substitute if you’re not into the classic kind. A food processor works best for grinding up the cookies, but if you don’t have one try to get the cookies as fine as possible. The Cheesecake Filling This creamy, decadent filling is made even MORE creamy and decadent with the addition of Baileys. Since we’re adding so much liquid (and liquid is the enemy of perfect cheesecake), we’ve added a bit of cornstarch to prevent cracking. You’re welcome to leave it out, but word to the wise: Even if you’re using a water bath, this much liquid is likely to cause cracks. This certainly won’t effect the flavor, and since you’re covering the whole thing in ganache, it won’t effect the presentation too much, either. So don’t panic! Keep calm and bake on! The Ganache Topping There’s nothing a big bowl of ganache can’t improve. We like using semisweet chocolate chips for this recipe, but milk or dark chocolate chips would make a fine substitute. If you don’t have chips lying around, you can also use chocolate bars, they will melt better for your ganache anyways! Just chop up your bars into chocolate chip–size pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Et voilá, a cheesecake so irresistibly good, you’ll want to make it waaay more than once a year. For even more Baileys trying replacing just a bit of the cream with Baileys in that ganache! You’ll be so glad you did. Looking for a potluck-friendly version? Check out these Mini Baileys Cheesecakes, which are just as delicious and perfectly portable. And if you tried your hand at this recipe let us know how it came out in the comments below!
