Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet with a punch of Bailey’s, a hint of espresso, and the perfect amount of chocolate.
Texture: A beautifully crunchy buttery crust is the ideal base for the rich and smooth filling and fudgy ganache topping.
Ease: Much simpler and easier than a full-size cheesecake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Perfect St. Patrick’s Day party recipe since it’s made ahead of time.
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Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars truly have it all. Chocolate. Booze. Cream cheese.
Does dessert get better than that?
I love cheesecake bars not just because they’re quicker and easier to make, transport, and serve – but also because you get a better crust-to-filling ratio.
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Plus, for these cheesecake bars, you get to enjoy an Irish Cream cheesecake and a rich, chocolatey Irish Cream ganache.
This recipe was made specifically for St. Patrick’s Day… but I won’t tell anyone if you make it throughout the year! I often can’t resist, because they’re seriously so good.
Looking for more St. Paddy’s Day dessert inspo? Check out my Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream or Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles for the most delicious party ever!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars
How to Make Rich, Creamy, Smooth Cheesecake
- Make sure all of your cream cheese is completely softened. This can take several hours if it’s a cold day.
- Be sure to scrape down your mixing bowl regularly. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl, as well as the beater attachment.
- If lumpy cheesecake is a common issue for you, try running your mixing bowl under warm water then dry thoroughly before mixing your cheesecake batter.
- Use only high-quality bricks of full-fat cream cheese for cheesecake. Sometimes generic cream cheese brands are too watery, so opt for Philadelphia or another quality brand.
The Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
I used chocolate graham crackers here. If you can’t find them, you can also use the same amount by weight of chocolate wafer cookies or Chocolate Teddy Grahams.
Can I Use Oreos for the Cheesecake Bars Base?
When I first tested this recipe, I used Oreo cookies but really didn’t like the flavor combination with the Irish Cream. It was too sweet and rich and competed with the Bailey’s, so I don’t recommend it.
What’s the Best Baking Pan for Cheesecake Bars?
I’d highly recommend using a quality metal baking pan. Glass and ceramic take much longer to bake and you’re more likely to end up with an undercooked or rubbery cheesecake. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
How to Avoid Overbaking Cheesecake
- You’re looking for the edges of the Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars to be just slightly golden and for the top of the cheesecake to look dry. However, the key is for the center to remain slightly jiggly.
- After the cheesecake is baked, turn off the oven but allow the cheesecake to remain inside with the oven door just cracked open for 30 minutes. This not only helps to finish off the cheesecake baking without overcooking, but the gentle cool down also helps to prevent cracks.
- However, if cracks form in this recipe it’s not a huge problem because the ganache will hide any imperfections.
Can I Double This Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars Recipe?
Yes! Just double all of the ingredients and bake in a metal 9 by 13-inch baking pan, checking for doneness at about 45 minutes.
Do I Have to Use Espresso Powder?
I love the flavor espresso powder brings to these Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars, but if you don’t have any or don’t prefer the flavor, feel free to simply omit it.
How to Make Cheesecake Bars Ahead of Time
Store the Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. Please note that the crust will soften more the longer the cheesecake bars are stored.
Bailey’s Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 10 (150 grams) chocolate graham crackers*
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
For the topping:
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (119 grams) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang.
- In a food processor, pulse the crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it’s completely smooth and creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until totally combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream then the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add in vanilla, espresso powder, and salt and blend on low speed until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the Irish Cream. Don’t over-mix.
- Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake at 325°F until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to rack to let cool completely.
- Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.
Make the topping:
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes before stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in the Irish Cream. If needed, allow to cool and thicken. Pour over the cheesecake.
- Serve or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Trying your baileys cheesecake bars for the first time and I’m wondering what the white liquid is that you’re pouring in with the cream cheese in your video. I don’t see anything in the recipe that looks like that. Hope I didn’t mess it up.
Thanks!
Hi Rosie! Once the cream cheese is added in the video, granulated sugar and then sour cream are added before the eggs and vanilla. Because the sour cream is at room temperature, it’s softer than normal, though not completely liquid, but I bet that’s the ingredient in question! How did your cheesecake bars turn out?
Can I use table salt instead of sea salt? What is the difference?
Hi Jane, great question! We prefer using fine sea salt in our recipes because it dissolves more easily into batters and dough. Table salt takes longer to dissolve, making it taste saltier than other salts! Learn more about different types of salts in our article here. Hope that helps!
Made these in a 9×13 with doubling everything. The Bailey’s is subtle but there. Everything was delicious. The double recipe did take quite a bit longer to cook, but that was expected.
Can this recipe be doubled in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Diana! Yes, this can be doubled! Check out the tip box (above the recipe) for more info on this 🙂
I’ve looked twice and do not see any Tip box.
Hi Jim, here’s a direct link. We’ve updated our posts since Kiersten’s comment here, and all tips can still be found above the recipe, but now located in our “Sprinkle of Science” section. I hope that helps!
Hi. If I don’t have espresso powder can i add regular coffee powder? Also, do i need to refrigerate after adding the ganache? Thanks
Hi Ari! Espresso powder is much, much more potent than regular coffee powder or instant coffee – but it shouldn’t matter tooooo much in this recipe; you’ll just lose some of the coffee flavor. You will need to store these in the fridge, with or without the ganache! Let us know what you think once you have given these a try 🙂
Thanks! Also, this does not ask for water bath so that it kinda sinks to put the ganache there? If i use a water bath will the consistency be different?
Hi Ari! We haven’t tested this recipe using a water bath, as cheesecake bars typically don’t need one. Tessa has included some tips in the pink tip box above the recipe, such as how to cool the bars slowly, which will prevent cracks – and should prevent too much of a sinkage situation in the middle, too! If you want to give this a try in a water bath, you probably could do so – we just haven’t tried it ourselves, so I can’t tell you how exactly that will work out! Let us know what happens if you do try that! Good luck 🙂
I made these for St. Patrick’s day. You won’t be disappointed. They are fairly easy to make and so delicious!
Made this yesterday and left it in the fridge overnight. It was a huge hit in my house! So delicious! Everyone loved it so much! I didn’t have chocolate graham crackers or anything similar, so I subbed the crust for your fudgy brownies recipe. It was basically a baileys brownie cheesecake bar but it was still sooooo good. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Ooo you may have made the recipe even better!! Sounds amazing!
Hi Tessa!
I just put mine in the oven and can’t wait to taste it tomorrow afternoon at my family’s annual St. Patrick’s Day feast. 🙂 I do have a question though, is the sugar 1 cup (which I believe is 200 grams?) or 300 grams? I put 1 true cup, 200 grams and I hope it turns out sweet enough!
Best,
Whitney
Hi Whitney! Great catch, you are right! I’ve updated the recipe with that correction. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention!
We don’t want to use a liqueur in the recipe can I substitute Bailey Liqueur, for Bailey’s Irish Cream coffee creamer?
I haven’t tried that, but I think it should work! Good luck!