14 Ways To Use Irish Cream All Year Round

In our imaginations, the name “Irish cream” is synonymous with a spiked creamy coffee flavor, but that is likely due to the popularity of Bailey’s, whose flavor profile includes coffee. Still, though we sure like some Irish cream stirred into a hot coffee, the coffee is not an essential part of Irish cream. The drink began as a combination of two of Ireland’s most beloved exports, Irish whiskey and superior dairy products. Makers included notes of caramel, toffee, chocolate, vanilla—and sometimes coffee (but sometimes not). When St. Paddy’s Day rolls around, or really at any time of year, we can’t get enough of those creamy coffee combos. So when you’re ready to graduate from just sipping some Irish cream after dinner, you might move on to these drinks and desserts that celebrate the spirit of the Irish.

This creamy cake uses cake mix and pudding mix as jumping off points. Once the cake is cooled, you poke holes all over it with the handle of a wooden spoon (more on that in a sec). The pudding is spiked with Irish cream and sweetened condensed milk to play up those caramelly flavors in Irish cream, then spread all over the cake, including into those holes. Finally the cake is topped in an espresso whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle and chopped espresso beans. It’s like your favorite packaged cupcake from childhood—but all grown up.

When you combine that Irish cream flavor with a serious dose of chocolate and coffee, you beget a mudslide. Here, Katie Lee Biegel translates those flavors into a party-ready shot that will need no explanation. I mean, anything sitting on top of a chocolate cookie will not have to twist anyone’s arm into popping one in their mouth.

Brownie addicts, take note: This recipe takes cubes of luscious brownies and folds them into a from-scratch pudding laced with Irish cream. Though it sounds like a capital-P project, you’ll be surprised at how quickly it all comes together; you can make the pudding in the time it takes the brownies to bake. Layer them ahead, then top with fluffy whipped cream and chocolate shavings right before serving.

Hold on to your saddle, because Ree Drummond has a cocktail that will knock you out of it (with deliciousness, that is!). Irish cream comes together with cinnamon whiskey and a Mexican chile syrup that makes the heat overt, along with espresso liqueur and chocolate syrup. It makes a dynamite (pun intended) finish to a meal, or happy hour drink for those who like their sips sweet!

One of the best things about homemade donuts is that each serving is made up of a donut and a hole. These donuts in particular, which taste of classic coffee cake dipped in a cup of coffee, will be massively satisfying eaten alongside a cup of coffee. The glaze gets its butterscotchy flavor from a bit of Irish cream—and some whiskey, too, for good measure.

Just as fortifying the bitterness of chocolate with coffee is an old baker’s trick, you can also get that effect with a shot of another Irish staple, dark and bitter stout beer. An Irish cream frosting gains a little tang from cream cheese. Chocolate shavings won’t go amiss—they’re easily achieved with a vegetable peeler.

No, the name “BBC” isn’t trying to rile up the Irish with reference to the state-sponsored television channel of its neighboring country. Rather, it classically refers to “Bailey’s, Bananas and Coconut” or even “Bailey’s Banana Colada.” It might sound bizarre—but trust us, just as chocolate goes very well with bananas and coconut, so does coffee.

POV: an icebox pie, but make it Irish-inspired! Though lots of Irish desserts go in the minty direction (who can resist that color?), this one leans into the flavor of Irish cream, folding it into a luscious filling that sets in the fridge in its chocolate cookie crust. Another layer of lighter Irish-cream-laced whipped cream becomes the topping, and the decorations certainly make this the dessert incarnation of that legendary pot of gold.

These “Irish cream dreams” are little individual Irish-cream-spiked mousses topped with gingersnap crumbs. They’re made in ramekins and then unmolded, giving them an unexpected form for mousse, that delights and surprises. They are ideal to make ahead, because they have to freeze for 5 hours, and then they are unmolded whenever you need them.

This is an ideal birthday cake for anyone who loves that chocolate/cream cheese frosting vibe. And it’s so much more than that: Two deeply cocoa-y layers, dark with espresso and stout, and a tender crumb from buttermilk, and a creamy, subtly coffee-enhanced, not-too-sweet frosting from the inclusion of the Irish cream.

Basically “a milkshake with a ton of booze” says Jeff Mauro, which, right there, has us running for our cocktail shakers. This version is a vacation in a glass, and though it very much satisfies the inner child, is also grown-up, with vodka, chocolate bitters and Himalayan pink salt. The paper umbrella is optional… but not really.

This icebox pie ingeniously employs ice cream to cut down on cook time—it is a ready-made custard, after all, so it will hold your filling despite no time on the stovetop and no need to separate eggs. Here, those mudslide flavors are pumped up with a chocolate cookie crust (which is itself pumped up with chocolate-covered espresso beans) and a fudgy layer on top. Corn syrup in the whipped cream ensures that it will hold its shape and tempers the bitterness of straight cocoa powder.

You haven’t had an otherworldly brownie experience until you’ve spooned a warm one out of your very own mug. These are made entirely in the microwave, so despite all those tasty ingredients, you and three lucky friends can be enjoying these inside of 25 minutes. The wink-wink of having coffee-infused brownies out of a coffee mug is just the icing on the cake.