Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 10 graham crackers, broken up
• 1 1/4 cups pecans
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup baileys irish cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces imported chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces chocolate, grated
• 24 pecan halves

Recipe

• 1 break the chocolate into pieces.
• 2 preheat oven to 325°.
• 3 lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides.
• 4 finely grind the graham crackers, pecans and sugar together in processor.
• 5 add the butter and blend, using on/off turns.
• 6 press mixture on bottom and 2 inches up sides of the pan.
• 7 chill for 20 minutes.
• 8 prepare the filling: with a electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl.
• 9 beat until smooth.
• 10 in a medium bowl whisk eggs, baileys and vanilla extract just until blended.
• 11 beat mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
• 12 finely chop the chocolate in processor using on/off turns; add to cheese mixture.
• 13 pour filling into crust.
• 14 bake until edges of the filling are puffed and dry looking and center is just set, near 50 minutes.
• 15 let cake cool on rack.
• 16 make topping: mix sour cream and powdered sugar in small bowl.
• 17 spread topping onto cake when cooled; sprinkle chocolate over.
• 18 place pecans around edges of cake.
• 19 refrigerate until chilled, overnight or 6 hours.