Irish Cream Mousse Bites

“WRITER’S BLOCK IS A FANCY TERM MADE UP BY WHINERS SO THEY CAN HAVE AN EXCUSE TO DRINK ALCOHOL.”  Steve Martin

 Today, I had the day off.  And I love having a quiet day, all to myself, in my kitchen.  I always imagine it as an opportunity to make something more challenging than usual.  But today, I had a “writer’s block” of sorts.  I have a million cookbooks, a bazillion magazine articles clipped out, and access to a gazillion recipes online.

Maybe I was just overstimulated….because I couldn’t decide what to make!  Isn’t that crazy?  So yes….I gravitated to alcohol….Bailey’s to be exact!  And I am glad I did.  These are such a sweet little treat and easy because…….

I had all the ingredients at hand in my cupboards and my fridge.  It required very little baking.  The majority of the time is spent waiting for these to chill in the fridge, the prep time is very little.

The only thing I think I would do differently next time is not make them into little bites.  I think that’s great if you are trying to make a dessert treat for a number of people.  But these are formed in an 8 inch baking pan.  So I think next time I would cut them as a full size dessert bar. I would even go as far as to suggest making them in a muffin tin for a larger individual serving.  Or if you wanted to keep the small size to make a large number of them, I still think it would be best to use a mini muffin pan or a financier pan.  It would help them to keep a uniform shape.  They were a little tricky to cut from the pan!   But whatever your needs are….these are quite delicious.  And perfect and refreshing for a warm summer day.

Here’s what you’ll need……..

CRUST:

1 ( 9 oz ) box of chocolate wafer cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

MOUSSE:

1/2 cup half and half

1 (.25 oz) package of unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup sugar

4 TBSP Bailey’s Irish Creme liqueur

1 cup whipping cream

chocolate shavings to garnish

Heat oven to 350°F.  Combine all the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  Press the crumbs into an ungreased 8 inch square baking pan.  Bake the crust until it is set, about 8-10 minutes.  Cool completely.

Meanwhile, put 1/4 of half and half into a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.  Let it stand for 5 minutes.  Then add the remaining 1/4 of half and half and the sugar.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Take off of the heat and stir in the liqueur.  Let this set until cooled, about 20 minutes.

Beat the whipping cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks start to form.  Gently stir the cooled gelatin mix into the whipped cream.  Mix until smooth.  Pour this over the cooled crust and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.

To serve, cut into your desired size, garnish with chocolate shavings.  Store refrigerated.

Enjoy!