Bit-of-Irish Cheesecake

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a Bit-of-Irish Cheesecake! A nip of Irish cream liqueur and a pecan crust make this Irish cheesecake a crowd-pleaser.

Prep: 20 min | Total: 5 hr 25 min | Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 4 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
• 4 eggs

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 300 degrees F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan).
2. Mix pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar and the butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan.
3. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and the flour in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
5. Add sour cream and liqueur; mix well.
6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
7. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until center is almost set. Run small knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan.
8. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
9. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Notes

Fun Idea: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by garnishing chilled cheesecake with green colored sugar just before serving. Or, sprinkle the green colored sugar over a clover-shaped template placed on top of chilled cheesecake to resemble a shamrock.

Cappuccino Cheesecake in Nut Crust: Prepare cheesecake filling as directed, substituting 1 tablespoon MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water for the liqueur.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Kraft Heinz Company