Irish cream MINI cheesecake

In our minds, this is the perfect treat for celebrating St, Patrick's day - or any day!  This creamy cheesecake with the flavor of Irish cream liqueur (like Bailey's) pairs perfectly with the chocolate-filled chocolate sandwich cookie (Oreo) crust and a dark chocolate ganache.

Our recipe, based on one we found on Delish!, is for a 6-inch cheesecake. But you can double it to make a standard, 8-9-inch cake for a larger crowd...Or so you can have leftovers to eat during the rest of the week! Cooking time for the full-size cheesecake will be about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Our mini cheesecake serves 4 to 6 people and keeps well in the refrigerator 

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INGREDIENTS & equipment

FOR THE CRUST

• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 13 Oreo cookies with chocolate filling, 
• pinch of kosher salt
• ​6-inch springform pan

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

• 2 8-ounce bars cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup Irish Cream liqueur, like Bailey's (we used Kirkland from Costco)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GANACHE

• 1/3 c. heavy cream
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

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DIRECTIONS

1. Arrange shelves in oven to allow for water bath on lowest shelf. Have shelf in the center of oven for the cheesecake.
2. Preheat oven to 325º and butter a 6-inch springform pan.
3. Pour boiling water into a shallow pan on lowest oven shelf.
4. 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.

1. Make cheesecake: In your stand mixer, fitted with SideSwipe, beat cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth and fluffy.
2. Add cornstarch, then add eggs. Add Irish cream and vanilla. Mix on low to medium speed until fully incorporated.
3. Pour batter into crust and place on a large baking sheet. (We also wrapped the springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent leakage) 
4. Bake until center of cheesecake is only slightly jiggly, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cool, 4 hours or up to overnight.

1. When ready to serve, make ganache: In a small saucepan over low heat, heat heavy cream. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and pour over hot heavy cream. Let sit 3 minutes, then stir until creamy and no lumps remain. You can also put the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for as many 25-second increments as needed to melt chocolate. Stir until creamy.
2. Refrigerate ganache until slightly thick, 15 minutes, and spread all over cheesecake or layer onto the top. We added one layer, then chilled, and added a second layer so we could carve in our shamrock design with a fork. Let set 10 minutes, then serve.