Irish Car Bomb Mini Cheesecake Bites

You might be thinking, Does Erin know that St. Padd’y day has already passed? And yes I do. But now I get to share some of the things I ate on Saturday! I figured the best way to start is with the dessert.

These mini cheesecakes start out with a chocolate Irish cream base, which gets topped with a whiskey-caramel sauce that demands to be heard. And finally a nice little dollop of whipped cream which has just a little bit of Guinness in it. The proportions of this treat are definitely not in line with the real beverage (Guinness being the main ingredient), but all the components are present.

Although whipped cream was a little over-whipped, I ended up thinking it was perfect considering the name of these little cheesecakes. The reason being that if you do not drink a car bomb fast enough it will start to curdle. Not that I want you to think of curdled milk while staring at these cheesecakesq. Hm, maybe telling you that was a bad idea then.

IRISH CAR BOMB MINI CHEESECAKE BITES

Makes 12

Ingredients:

CHEESECAKE

8 whole Oreos, ground in a food processor

1-1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 egg

2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt

4 tsp Irish cream liqueur

WHISKEY CARAMEL SAUCE

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp Irish whiskey

GUINNESS WHIPPED CREAM

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp Guinness beer

2 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined.  Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat.  Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.
2. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa, and flour until smooth.  Beat in egg then stir in yogurt, and liqueur until combined.
3. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly into the 12 cups filling about 3/4 way full. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through.  Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the caramel topping. In a small pan over high heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Swirl around frequently but do not stir.
5. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until browned, but not burned. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Once smooth add the whiskey. Set aside and allow to cool.
6. In a small bowl, whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Add sugar and Guinness, then whip further until it forms stiff peaks – do not overbeat!
7. Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of whiskey caramel sauce.  Top with Guinness whipped cream or refrigerate until ready to serve. (Whipped cream best when eaten the same day it’s made, so if you are preparing these ahead of time, make the whipped cream the day you plan to serve.)

Source: Cheesecakes adapted from All recipes. Whiskey caramel sauce and whipped cream adapted from Tablespoon.