Recipe: Double Chocolate Baileys Cheesecake Brownies

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As I've mentioned in the past, Chicagoans are crazy for this holiday - the week-long celebration includes countless drunken pub crawls, numerous parades, and the holy grail of the celebrations, the river dyeing (check out this time-lapse video to see how it's done). While I can't exactly say I'm a huge fan of the typical Chicago-style St. Paddy's Day (too many brawls and too much green puke), I do love a good opportunity to get together with friends at one of our favorite local Irish pubs and indulge in a day of nonstop folk music, corned beef, and whiskey.

This year, I decided it was time to take our predilection for whiskey and combine it with our love for chocolate.... because really, every holiday calls for a fabulous boozy, chocolatey dessert! These Double Chocolate Baileys Cheesecake Brownies have a dense fudge-like consistency and are spiked with a healthy dose of Baileys Irish Cream. Let me be clear - these brownies really pack a punch, as the addition of the liqueur to both the brownie batter and the cheesecake batter ensures the flavor is at the forefront. I love the intensity and decadence of these brownies (and so has everyone else who's tried them - I've already received several requests for more!).

Double Chocolate Baileys Cheesecake Brownies

INGREDIENTS

For the Brownie layer:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz. package dark chocolate chips

3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

For the Cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar 

2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. For the Brownie layer: In a large bowl, combine cocoa powder and baking soda. Add in 1/3 cup melted butter. Once combined, add boiling water and stir until well blended.

3. Add in sugar, eggs, and remaining melted butter. Once combined, add flour, vanilla, and salt.

4. Add chocolate chips and Baileys Irish Cream. Stir until well incorporated. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

5. For the Cheesecake layer: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and Baileys Irish Cream until very smooth.

6. Spoon the cheesecake mixture in large dollops on top of the brownie batter. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batter and cheesecake (note: I made a few random swirls with a butter knife; if you want to get fancy, reserve 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and follow this technique).

7. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the edges look slightly golden brown. The center should be set, but not completely firm.

8. Cool the brownies in the pan - wait until they are completely cool before cutting (or else the cheesecake layer will separate from the brownie layer).