Irish Cream Cheesecake

Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla wafers, finely crushed
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup irish cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• semisweet chocolate, grated for garnish (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 300°f.
• 2 (i've added this step based on the comments of many of you have tried this recipe - thanks for you input). place a baking pan of water on the lower rack of the oven to help prevent cracking while baking.
• 3 combine the vanilla wafer crumbs and butter in a small mixing bowl.
• 4 press crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
• 5 hold this pan in the freezer until ready to fill.
• 6 in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
• 7 add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 8 add the geletin; mix well at low speed.
• 9 add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 10 stir in the sour cream, irish cream and vanilla.
• 11 spoon the mixture over the crust.
• 12 bake at 300 for one hour and fifteen minutes.
• 13 do not open the oven door!
• 14 turn off oven, keep the oven door closed.
• 15 allow the cheesecake to remain in the oven for an additional one hour and fifteen minutes.
• 16 do not open the oven door during this time!
• 17 remove the cheesecake from the oven and carefully remove the springform pan.
• 18 place on a decorative plate and serve at room temperature or chilled.
• 19 may garnish with grated semi-sweet chocolate.