New York Style Grasshopper Cheesecake

 

Is there a more decadent dessert in the world than cheesecake? New York-style cheesecake? For me….nope. This is it. The Queen Mother of all desserts. Rich, cheesy, creamy, heavenly, don’t even think about asking for a bite, all mine, quintessential  dessert! 

So why do I only make one a year?? They’re actually very easy to make. No harder than a cake. Fun to decorate. Fun to share with friends and neighbors. This is something I think I’ma gonna have to work on. 😉   

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, so I was in a very festive mood being it was my birthday and St. Paddy’s Day was right around the corner and I hadn’t made us a sweet treat in awhile. So I decided to just go for it, whole hog wild, and make a celebratory cheesecake! I didn’t think a “green beer” cheesecake would be very tasty, 😉 but an old-fashioned Grasshopper cheesecake sounded like it had the Luck o’ the Irish on my side! 😉

 

  

 

 

 

Traditionally, the “Grasshopper Cocktail” is made with white creme de cacao, green creme de menthe and light cream. I was out of luck on the white creme de cacao, but I did have some Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur and that was the perfect substitute! 

 

 

 

 

Besides the 2 liqueurs, I also used heavy cream in my recipe instead of just milk. I thought it would help keep the consistency I was going for with all of the extra added liquids. It worked perfectly!

I was a little worried there for awhile towards the end, though! This cheesecake rose about 3/4 inch above the rim of the pan! But by the time it had reached that height, it was firm enough that it didn’t run over.

It also settled back down nicely when completely cooled. Right where it should be. 😉 WHEW! 

 

 

 

 

I wanted the top to look extra pretty, so I of course went for the little Andes Mint Candies! (I hadn’t had them since probably high school and forgot how good those are!) But they then needed something to rest in…..so I opted to make some quick cream cheese frosting!

But why stop there, right? Instead of milk, I used Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur to put the final last touch on this masterpiece of a cheesecake! (That frosting alone was to die for!)

Though there’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow….there is this cheesecake! 😉 And I’m not sure if I’d trade it for that pot of gold, anyway!

It was the best cheesecake I’ve made yet! Rich and creamy, not too dense but definitely “New York-style”, with a nice subtle hint of mint!

And the chocolate Oreo cookie crust held all of the wonderful flavors together beautifully! 

So if you’re looking for an exquisite treat for St. Paddy’s Day celebrations, look no further! This is it! I so hope this cheesecake shows up at many parties and is thoroughly enjoyed!

But *WARNING*! I’ve heard tales of Leprechauns sneaking into unlocked refrigerators in the middle of the night and stealing large chunks of this cheesecake….better get the big lock.

See you next week! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 😀 

 

 

NEW YORK STYLE GRASSHOPPER CHEESECAKE

Makes 1 – 9″ cheesecake (springform pan)

 

For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:

15 Oreo Chocolate Cream-Filled Cookies, regular or mint, finely crushed

2 Tbl. butter, melted

 

For the Grasshopper Cheesecake Filling:

4 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

4 eggs

1 cup thick sour cream, I like Daisy’s

1/3 cup green Creme de Menthe Liqueur

3 Tbl. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

1 Tbl. vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

 

Baileys Irish Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, room temp

4 oz. butter, room temp

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar*

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbl. Baileys Irish Cream** 

~Plus 9 – 12 Andes Mint Candies for decorating~ 

 

DIRECTIONS:

For Crust:

In food processor, whirl Oreos until fine crumbs. With processor running, slowly drizzle in butter until all mixed in. Spray the inside of a 9″ springform pan well with butter-flavored cooking spray. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of pan and slightly up sides. Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

For Cheesecake Filling:

In large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape sides, paddle and bottom and beat again. Starting on low speed, blend in heavy cream. (Turn up speed once it’s safe to not splatter.) Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just mixed. You don’t want to whip them and create air. 

Beat in sour cream, liqueurs, vanilla and flour until smooth. Scrape paddle, sides and bottom of bowl and beat again. Pour into springform pan.

Tear a large sheet of foil off, and set pan onto center. Press foil up sides of pan. Place into large roaster. (Big enough to hold pan level.)

Open oven and place onto rack that puts cheesecake in the center of your oven. Fill roaster with boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Close door and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

When time is up, turn off oven, open door briefly (a few seconds), close door and leave in oven for 1 hour.  

Remove from oven to a rack to cool. When cooled down, cover top of pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, run a knife around edge to loosen, and pop open springform ring. Remove ring and place cheesecake onto plate or serving stand.

Baileys Irish Cream Cheese Frosting: 

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and liqueur until smooth. *If too thin, add more powdered sugar. **If too thick add more Baileys. Place into pastry bag with large fluted tip. (I used my mega one, a 1M tip.)  Decorate top with frosting and Andes Mint Candies.