The Best Irish Cream Pie Recipe

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St. Patrick's Day celebrations may revolve around corned beef and cabbage with a side of green beer, but they typically feature some kind of dessert, as well. These tend to fall into two categories: things colored green (often mint-flavored) and things made with Irish cream liqueur. As you can tell by the name, this recipe falls squarely (or circularly) into the latter category. Unlike many cream pies, this one isn't filled with pudding, but rather features layers of mousse flavored with two different kinds of chocolate chips. It's then topped with a dulce de leche-infused whipped cream, making it one of the creamiest cream pies we've ever seen.

As developer Katie Rosenhouse says of the recipe, "Irish cream is a natural fit for airy, creamy pies that will show off its flavor, so this mousse-like filling in a chocolate cookie crust seemed like a great way to showcase it." The liqueur features in two places — there's a splash of it in the white chocolate cream filling, and the rest goes to flavor the topping. (If you want even more, you could add it to the milk chocolate filling, as well.)  While this dessert may look elaborate, it's actually not too difficult to make. According to Rosenhouse, "It's a pie that anyone could throw together," especially since you can customize the decorations to suit your taste and skill level. 

To make the pie crust, you'll need chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos or something similar) along with butter and salt. The filling is made from chocolate chips (milk and white), heavy cream, and Irish cream liqueur, while you'll also need dulce de leche for the topping. Optionally, you may want to add espresso powder to the milk chocolate layer for added depth, along with cocoa powder or extra Oreos to top off the pie.

Set out 2 microwave-safe ramekins or bowls. In one, combine the milk chocolate chips with ½ cup heavy cream and optional espresso powder. In the other, combine the white chocolate chips with ¼ cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons Irish cream.

Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in-between, until both chocolate mixtures are smooth.

Refrigerate the ganaches until cold and spreadable, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Begin the crust: Crush the Oreos in a large bag using a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, crush the cookies in a food processor.

Add the melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt to the crumbs, mixing to combine.

Transfer the crust mixture to a 9-inch pie plate, and press to coat bottom and sides.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until firm and fragrant. Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip 1 ¾ cups heavy cream and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt to stiff peaks.

Transfer white chocolate ganache to one bowl, milk chocolate ganache to another, and top each with half of the whipped cream.

Fold each chocolate/cream mixture gently until uniform.

Spread the milk chocolate mousse evenly into the cooled crust.

Top with the white chocolate mousse and spread evenly to coat.

In the same stand mixer bowl, whip the remaining ½ cup heavy cream, remaining 2 tablespoons Irish cream, and dulce de leche to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag if desired.

Pipe or dollop the whipped cream decoratively onto the pie, then chill pie at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight).

Once the pie has chilled, optionally decorate it with a dusting of cocoa powder, additional Oreos, dulce de leche, or other toppings as desired. Serve cold.

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If you prefer a chocolatey pie with a more bittersweet edge, you can use semisweet chips in place of the milk ones or even the white ones, since pretty much any flavor of chips will work here. You can also certainly use a different brand of Irish cream — Baileys may be the most famous, but there are plenty of other options, and you can even ditch the store-bought kind and DIY your own Irish cream. If you want to change up the taste a bit, you can also go with a flavored Irish cream, while other cream-based liqueurs (perhaps espresso, coffee, or caramel-flavored ones) could also be used.

There's also opportunity to get creative with the crust. While Oreos provide a great chocolatey base for a pie that packs in even more chocolate, you can opt for a different cookie type for a little added complexity. "You could use a shortbread or other type of cookie crumb crust in the place of the Oreo crust," Rosenhouse says. Finally, if you can't fathom the thought of serving a St. Patrick's Day dessert without some sort of greenery in the mix, green sprinkles will work here either in lieu of or in addition to the other garnishes.

While some pies withstand the test of time remarkably well, this creamy mousse-filled one isn't one of them. "In terms of storage, this pie doesn't hold up super well over time," Rosenhouse says. "I would recommend making it no further than a day or two ahead, and garnishing fresh before serving to keep the cookies from becoming soggy."

If you do want to make parts of the pie in advance, it's best to keep the elements separated until it's time to assemble and serve. For example, you could bake the crust the night before and set that aside at room temperature until you're ready to make the filling. Once you have fully assembled, filled, and decorated the pie, you can hold onto leftovers for about three to four days, but make sure to keep them in the fridge. As a final note, Rosenhouse does not recommend freezing the pie as the texture will change too much after thawing.

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