Irish Cream Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumble

So before you get confused by the recipe and photos that follow, let me tell you a little story.  I'd like to call this, The Cheesecake-Pudding Exchange: A Learning Experience by K2.

I found this fabulous looking recipe for a no bake cheesecake in a cookbook that my parents brought back from their trip to Ireland last year.  Because it was a European cookbook, I needed to make some adjustments, but there may have been some issues with the translation to U.S. kitchen-friendliness.

Everything seemed to go according to plan until it was time to release the "cheesecake" from the springform pan.  As the dessert squelched from its confines and my Ahhhh moment turned into an Ooooohhhh moment, I realized that something had gone awry.  I didn't have time to remake it for this post, but fortunately all was not lost.  Though expecting a creamy delicious cheesecake with chocolate chip cookie crust, I found myself with a creamy delicious pudding with chocolate chip cookie crumble instead.  In my book, a very doable exchange.

So...if you like pudding, follow the recipe below as indicated.  If you want to try and succeed where I fell a little short, see the revised "cake" ingredient list which includes suggested changes to make it what it should have been.

Irish Cream Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumble
formerly known as No Bake Chocolate Irish Cream Cheesecake

crust/crumble
1-1/2 cups crushed chocolate chip cookies see Notes
4 tbsp butter, melted

"cake" pudding
1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw, food processed
12 oz fat free cream cheese
15 fl oz heavy cream or Half and Half, room temp
3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

revised "cake"
1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw, food processed
12 oz cream cheese, softened do NOT use Fat Free
1-3/4 cups heavy cream or Half and Half, room temp
3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Cheesecake crust:  Line the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan.  If non-stick, use cooking spray or shortening to grease the sides with.

Put the cookies in a zip lock bag and crush them to crumbs with a rolling pin.  Pour the crumbs into a small bowl.

Melt your butter in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave for 25-35 seconds.  Pour the butter over the crumbs and mix until the crumbs are moistened evenly.

 

Cheesecake crust:  Press the crumbs into the bottom of the lined springform pan
Pudding crumble:  Press the crumbs out on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
I used a fork to spread them out and then pressed them down.

Put the pan in the fridge and let the crust/crumble chill for at least 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate together.  You can either either melt them in a heatproof bowl set over a sauce pan of simmering hot water or melt them in a thick-bottomed sauce pan over low heat.  Once melted, leave to cool. Just room temp cool or slightly above that, not cold cool.

Take your Sugar in the Raw and toss it into a food processor.  Pulse for 1-2 minutes, then let process for another 1-2 minutes.  Set aside.  see Notes

In a mixer, beat sugar and cream cheese together until smooth.

Then remove bowl from mixer and fold in the heavy cream with a spoon or spatula, a bit at a time, until well blended.

Next fold in the melted chocolate until well blended.

Finally, stir in the Irish Cream.

Cheesecake:  Spoon the mixture into the springform pan over the crust.
Pudding:  Pour the mixture into a bowl.

Cover the pan/bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.  Let chill for at least 2 hours or until very firm (cheesecake) or much less jiggley (pudding).

Cheesecake:  When you're ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and slide onto a serving dish.  Using a knife dipped in hot water (to get a clean cut), slice cheese cake and serve.
Pudding:  Scoop into small bowls, crumble the crumble over top and serve.

Garnish with fresh berries and/or a cheeky dollop of whipped cream.

NOTES

So, I think one of my problems is that I used fat free cream cheese which is very malleable, even when cold.  For cheesecake, you want cream cheese with a little more structure to it so don't skimp and do go full fat with your cream cheese.

I would also reduce the amount of heavy cream added to the mixture.  I kind of realized when I could pour my batter, versus spooning it out, that I might have a consistency problem with the batter.  These two adjustments should make a big difference, but I would recommend adding the cream a bit at a time and use your best judgment in determining how thick/thin your batter is. 

12 (1/2 oz) cookies = 6 oz (what the original recipe called for) = 1-1/2 cups crushed.  I used store-bought (versus homemade) because I wanted them to have that kind of crispycrunchyness that makes for good crumb action.

The original recipe calls for golden caster sugar, which is a finer, unprocessed sugar than we have here.  You could substitute superfine white sugar, but there is a slight taste difference.  By food processing the Sugar in the Raw (left-before, right-after), you get the finer texture you need for this recipe without being too grainy like regular processed sugar.