Homemade Irish Cream
liqueur
This is truly the simplest thing you could ever make. It makes a great homemade gift but is great to have around especially if you’re hosting.
My husband thinks this is better than the real stuff. He thinks it’s a little richer and has way more flavour and I can’t agree more. When it comes to cost you might think why not just buy a bottle of baileys. You may be right. It’s probably cheaper to buy a bottle of baileys than a bottle of whiskey. But if you do have whiskey kicking around at home already and wanted to give it a try it’s definitely worth it.
Like I said it’s simple to make and there’s something satisfying about drinking and serving something that you mixed and made yourself. The best thing about making it DIY style is that you can also adjust the flavours to your liking. For example you want it sweet just add more condensed milk. I like ours boozy, so I will always add an extra splash or two of whiskey. You can make it more chocolatey and even a little more mocha flavoured by adding more coffee or cocoa powder. I have also added some Nutella to mine to make it into a NutellaIrish cream and I really don’t have to explain how fabulous that was. So you see, there are benefits to making it from scratch.
My husband loves it rich and that is why I like using the canned cream to make it with. I find it’s thicker and richer plus I was reading Jamie Oliver’s recipe for this and he also recommended it cause it also has a longer shelf life than fresh cream. Either is fine and delicious in this recipe. He also does his in the blender but I like to whisk the powder and coffee by hand. I find it dissolves and fully incorporates the coffee and cocoa powder into the cream. Just my personal choice so feel free to use either method.
This is one of my fave treats. I can easily skip dessert unless it’s chocolate and wine or something a bit harder or maybe a bite of hubby’s pie or cake. But a small glass of this creamy deliciousness over ice in the evening and I’m good and happy. It’s like dessert and a drink mixed in one. A real treat!
As I said at the outset it’s also great mixed into glazes or frostings and I love it in a cinnamon bun glaze. This or ponche de creme/ boozy egg nog is perfect for that. Need to make some soon! Oh yeah it’s great in your coffee too. Perfect for a weekend or holiday treat. Who doesn’t like a spiked coffee once in a while! Whatever you use it for I’m sure you will love it. I love to add it to coffee, and also use it to sweeten cake frosting like in my Chocolate Guinness Cake, or it’s also great on its own, enjoyed over some ice. So go ahead and try it and enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream (I use a canned instead of the fresh one for better shelf life- either is fine though)
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder (optional but adds a lot of flavour)
- ½ tsp cocoa powder (alternatively you can use chocolate syrup if you don’t have powder)
- ¾ cup whiskey (Irish is recommended but any will do)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
Directions
- In a large bowl whisk together the coffee, cocoa powder and 1 tbsp of the cream to make a thick paste
- Slowly whisk in the rest of the cream and continue to whisk until smooth.
- Next whisk in the whiskey and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Finally whisk in the condensed milk until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Pour into a mason jar or pour into a bottle with a funnel and seal and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Serve over ice.
Recipe Notes
- Other recipes call for blending all ingredients in a blender – that is fine but I like to fully incorporate and dissolve the cocoa and coffee powder and I found making the paste works the best for that.
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