Irish Cream Dream Bars

These No Bake Irish Cream Dream Bars are an easy dessert with a shortbread cookie crust, an Irish cream cheesecake layer, Irish cream chocolate pudding and my stabilized whipped cream. It’s the perfectly themed dessert to enjoy while watching the new movie, Wild Mountain Thyme being now in theaters and On Demand.

I don’t think there’s anything much better than snuggling up on the couch and watching a movie.

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It’s something Kurt and I do every week, and sometimes the kids will join us as well.
Needless to say, we’ve watched quite a few movies in the comfort of our own home this year.
And tonight I’m super excited to watch WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, an uplifting fairy-tale like love story.

It’s written and directed by John Patrick Shanley who won an Oscar for writing MOONSTRUCK.
One of my favorites!

You know you’re going to really enjoy a movie when the stars you love are in it.
Wild Mountain Thyme stars Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, and Christopher Walken.
Can you believe this incredible cast?!

SAVE THIS IRISH CREAM DREAM BARS RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

I’m also super excited to see this because the movie takes place in Ireland. 
It’s such a beautiful country from the pictures and videos I’ve seen. 
I’ve always wanted to visit I just haven’t made it yet. 

Believe it or not, Kurt and I had a trip planned there this past June. 
We were going with our best friends to celebrate our 30th anniversaries.
Of course, circumstances being what they are, we weren’t able to go and I was super bummed.

Until we can celebrate our belated anniversary on the Emerald Isle, we’ll be staying home.
Tonight we’ll escape while enjoying WILD MOUNTAIN THYME with its’ lyrical folk music and gorgeous green scenery.

So let’s travel to Ireland together!
To find a theater near you or to watch WILD MOUNTAIN THYME at home, visit wildmountainthymemovie.com or look for it in your cable on demand listings.
Plus, if you stay home and watch it this weekend you can also enjoy every bite of these Irish Cream Dream Bars I created just for this movie release. 

Now let’s make them, shall we?
I think you’ll absolutely love them.
I certainly do!

This is a marvelous layered dessert, also known as lasagna or lush. 
It might just be my MOST FAVORITE dream bar recipe to date!
Seriously.

They’re the perfect Irish cream dessert.
You REALLY need to make this recipe!
PLEASE make them!!
I cannot beg you enough. 😉

Each of my Dream Bar recipes are NO BAKE, so you don’t even have to turn the oven on.
They each require time in the refrigerator after they’re assembled so they can set. 
Most of them can be placed into the freezer to speed up the process, too.

Can I freeze this Irish Cream dessert?

Please note that I do not recommend that you place the assembled Irish Cream Dream Bars into the freezer though.
The reason being is that freezing the mixture of alcohol and cream will change the consistency of the bars once they are thawed.
Save yourself some disappointment, and please just refrigerate to set them. 

However, you ARE directed to place the cookie crust into the freezer to harden.
That is an important step.

Ingredients

• Shortbread cookies
• Butter
• Instant chocolate pudding
• Milk
• Baileys Irish Cream
• Cream cheese
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Heavy cream

How do I make this Dream Bar recipe?

The steps may look long and complicated, but honestly it really is an easy dessert to make and put together. 
So, please don’t be intimidated. 
I promise you won’t regret it.

1. Cookie Crust –
   Prepare an 8 X 8-inch pan by lining it with parchment.
   Put cookies into a food processor and crush to a fine crumb. Combine with melted butter and mix well. Pat mixture into prepared pan. Place into the freezer to harden for a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. Irish Cream Chocolate Pudding –
   In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate pudding mix, Baileys Irish Cream and milk. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes. Note: you will ONLY use the 1 1/4 cups milk called for in the recipe, not the 2 cups called for on the package. You will also add 1/4 cup of Baileys Irish Cream. 
   The reason, we want the consistency of the pudding to be a bit firmer than it would with the 2 cups of milk the manufacturer calls for.
   Also, WHY have I not added Baileys to chocolate pudding before this??? It’s BRILLIANT, I tell ya, brilliant!
3. Whipped Cream –
   Combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, Baileys Irish Cream in a mixing bowl to make the Stabilized Whipped Cream. In most of my Dream Bars, you can use Cool Whip if you don’t want to make yours from scratch. You can also do that with this recipe. However, I add the Baileys to the whipped cream and not sure if you’d be able to mix it into the Cool Whip without it being too runny. I haven’t done it.
   Whip the heavy cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks appear. Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Irish Cream Cheesecake – 
   In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar, Baileys Irish Cream, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. 
   Add one cup of the whipped cream and stir completely. 
5. To assemble – 
   Place dollops of the cheesecake layer on top of the cookie crust and spread to the edges of the pan. 
   Put the pudding on top of the cheesecake layer, spread and then cover with the remaining whipped cream.
   Place into refrigerator to set for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.
   Garnish with chopped white and milk chocolate, and a drizzle of Baileys Irish Cream, if desired.