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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Bailey's Irish Cream Mini-Cheesecakes

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Bob’s work Holiday Party was earlier this month, and everyone was encouraged to bring a snack or dessert. This party fell on the same weekend as our Holiday Open House, so I was already in full dessert mode – what’s one more?! I thought for a while about what to make, then remembered my mini-cheesecake pans. It’s rare that I get the opportunity to use them, and this seemed like the perfect event for a bite-sized, easy-to-grab dessert. One of my favorite cheesecakes is the Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake, so I decided to adapt the recipe to a mini-version. I wasn’t sure how this would work, but they turned out great! They were a big hit at the party, and I had many requests for the recipe. They are actually pretty simple to make, but certainly don’t look simple.

I realize that very few people actually own a mini-cheesecake pan. A friend of mine tried the Pumpkin Spice Magic Bar Mini’s in a muffin pan and she had a very difficult time getting them out of the pan – in fact they fell apart. I can see why this happened considering the cheesecake pan allows you to push the removable bottom up to remove the cheesecake from the pan without disrupting the crust. If you would like to make this recipe and don’t have a mini-cheesecake pan, go ahead and use a muffin tin, but make sure you use paper liners. You can always remove them before you top with ganache - just make sure you coat them with nonstick cooking spray!

Bailey’s Irish Cream Mini-Cheesecakes

Yield: 24 mini-cakes (make a half recipe if just using 1 mini-cheesecake pan, which yields 12)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
16 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor
3 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:
16 ounces (2 8-ounce packages) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For the ganache glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
1. Combine the ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 24 mini cheesecake cups. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. If you have a small cup or container small enough, that works well. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

2. In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sour cream, Bailey's, and vanilla.

3. Pour or spoon batter into cheesecake pan cups to fill to a little less than half of the cup. Then add the melted chocolate to the rest of the batter. Fill the cups to about 3/4 full.

4. Bake for 25-28 minutes until cheesecake is cooked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

5. Once the cheesecakes have cooled, loosen the edges with a plastic knife and remove them from the pan by pushing up on the removable bottoms. Arrange them on a piece of waxed paper and make the glaze.

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6. To make the ganache glaze, put the chocolate in the top of a double boiler and melt above simmering water (or use microwave to melt). The chocolate should be just melted and only warm, not hot. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in the corn syrup.

7. Pour the glaze over the cheesecakes and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a metal icing spatula. Don't worry if the glaze drips unevenly down the sides of the cheesecakes, it actually makes for a pretty presentation. Alternatively, you could leave the cheesecakes in the pan and pour the glaze on top, let set (best to put in fridge), then run a plastic knife around to loosen, lift the cakes out, and have a nice ganache layer on top with no drips!

8. Refrigerate cheesecakes until ready to serve. If keeping overnight or longer, wait until glaze sets, then cover with foil.

Sources: Adapted recipes - Crust, Cheesecake, Ganache

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37 comments:

  1. OMG!! I could dive face-first right into those today! They look SO good! Yum, yum, yum!!!!!!

    I made your Grandmothers Oatmeal cookies (twice). Best recipe EVAH!!! I posted about them on my blog last week, I think, and linked back to your recipe.
    Even my kids like them and my kids don't like Oatmeal cookies!

    ((Hugs))
    Laura

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  2. Thanks Laura!! I'm so glad you liked the Oatmeal cookies - they are definitely one of my favorite cookies! :)

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  3. Why didn't I see this post before!?! Huh, the luxuries of working retail during the holidays! These look fab & I'd like one RIGHT NOW!!! :)

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  4. Oh wow, these look so decadent! Mini desserts are always such a hit at parties :)

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  5. Can these be made into a single cheesecake? I don't have individual cheesecake pans... They look decadent!

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  6. Hi Terri, The original Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake (which is linked in the post) is for a single cheesecake. I would probably just increase the crust and ganache amounts listed for the mini's by 50% - I think that should work! :)

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  7. making these right now and they look and smell great. went out and bought the mini cheesecake pan because i want it to look like the picture. can't wait to have them. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Can these be frozen?

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  9. I have never tried, but I'm sure they would still be good. The ganache might get a white sheen to it (the way chocolate chips do when you put them in the fridge), but the taste should be the same. You could always freeze the cheesecakes and add the ganache a day before serving, then chill.

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  10. in step 3, what melted choc. r we to use?

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  11. The 6 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled slightly). It is the last ingredient listed for the filling.

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  12. A friend shared this recipe, not realizing it had been grabbed by some other blog. I let her know that if she didn't see a link back (especially if the recipe is written under the photo) it wasn't legal. That said, I love this dessert and will definitely be trying it soon!
    At least it helped me find your blog :)

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    1. Thanks for letting her know about the link back! :-)

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  13. Do u think this would work with white chocolate and using the white Oreos instead? My household prefers white chocolate. If i can't find the cheesecake pan would muffin liners work?

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    1. I don't see why it wouldn't work with white chocolate! Please let me know how it turns out! I think the muffin liners would work.

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  14. For those who don't have mini cheesecake pans, what about making it in a square baking pan (maybe lined with foil that sticks over the edges - a "sling" - to make it easier to get it out of the pan) and then cutting into squares before adding ganache? If you like circles, maybe use a biscuit cutter? The "scraps" would make for a tasty snack... :)

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  15. It doesn't say but do you out these in miniature cupcake liners?

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  16. Can I use my mini muffin pan that I got from a home sales company? I makes 24 or do I need a special pan?

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  17. NOT SURE IF YOUR AWARE but this facebook Profile used your recipe and photos https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=589399621126229&set=a.512123648853827.1073741828.430596157006577&type=1 if you didn't submit it and its stolen you might want to report it to facebook.

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  18. If you do not use a mini cheesecake pan, which is specially designed so that the bottoms of each section lift up, then you should use cupcake/mini-cupcake liners or I think it would be very hard to get them out of the pan. You can then just remove the liner before you put the ganache on (or leave the liner on if they're cute!) As Anonymous suggested, you could also make them in a square pan using a foil or parchment sling and cut them into squares/shapes. Tricia- Thank you for letting me know about this! I did NOT submit my photo and will have to look into it further. If they just provided a link to my blog, it would be ok, but I don't think they did!

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  19. I have never used mini cheesecake pans but will for this recipe. Is there a trick to get the bottom off the cake? I assume you don't serve it with the metal bottom in attached

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    1. The bottom should slide right off since there is butter in the Oreo crust, but if you have trouble, you could gently pry it off using a knife. I have the Norpro mini-cheesecake pans, which are nonstick, and never had a problem with them sticking.

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  20. Can you make these as regular cupcake size? If so, do you have any suggestions on baking times?

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    1. I'm sure you could make these regular cupcake size! I would think they would require a bit longer to bake, so you'd have to watch them closely and check every few minutes.

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  21. I made another version of these for Thanksgiving yesterday and used a regular cupcake pan with cupcake liners. I peeled the liners off after they had completely cooled. My recipe called for a salted caramel sauce with mini choco chips sprinkled on. I will be trying these for a New Years party my daughter is having. Love the third layer and the chocolate glaze. Easy to make but so impressive to serve.

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  22. So the last step before putting it in the oven is to pour the melted choco. Isn't that going to burn in the oven? Or the cheesecake will sort of mix in on the process? Coz your pics looks like cakeish - the top part.

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    1. If Im understanding the instructions correctly, I think that you pour the melted chocolate on after they have finished in the oven?

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    2. Yes Tracey is correct, the ganache glaze is added AFTER the cheesecakes have been baked, to the cooled cakes.

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  23. I used the cup cake tray with paper liners to make mine. Using your ingredients for the chocolate layer (not the ganache) but the layer on top of the cream cheese, mine seems to not be as thick as yours. Any tips?

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  24. Did you use a standard size cupcake pan? The mini-cheesecake pan makes cakes about the size of mini-muffins, not average-sized muffins. Perhaps if you want to make them bigger you will need to add more of the batter(s) before baking to make them thicker?

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  25. I made these for a dinner party last night. FABULOUS!!!! The recipe is easy to follow and they came out perfectly. Next time I may add a bit of espresso to the glaze and the chocolate layer for an Irish coffee feel.

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  26. Euh.... Magnifiques! Succulents! Pas trop sucré, bien chocolaté, dense... bref, Merci!

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  27. Bonjour Meghan, ça l'air tellement décadent ton gateau. C'est sur que je vais l'essayer mais je crois qu' il manque une étape à ton gateau. L'étage de gateau juste avant le glaçage au chocolat. Car la photo comporte 4 étages en 4 étapes... Éclaire moi SVP merci pour cette délicieuse recette :-)

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  28. Bonjour Helene! I will have to type in English and hope you can translate. In step 3, a portion of the yellow batter is added to each cup, then the melted chocolate is combined with the remaining batter to create a chocolate layer, that is then added to each cup. This explains the layers: 1) cookie crust, 2) cheesecake, 3) chocolate cheesecake, 4) ganache. Hope that helps!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. This looks so good! How do I translate the recipe into a one 9 inch cheesecake instead of the mini's?

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    1. Here's the link to the original recipe which was a 9 in cheesecake.

      http://bakeitafterall.blogspot.com/2009/04/baileys-irish-cream-cheesecake.html

      You probably could use the same amount of crust & ganache as this recipe since they are a bit different in the original.

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