Irish Cream Cheesecake

This is a wonderfully, creamy cheesecake that I make for friends and family. Folks like it so well that a single cheesecake raised $32.00 at a fundraiser/auction for my children's school. I have made this successfully with low-fat cream cheese and sour cream. (Many of you have had problems with cracks in the top of the cheesecake and have given wonderful instructions as to how to avoid this. I have included your info in the instructions and really appreciate you making this recipe even better - Thanks :)

• Ready In: 2 hrs 50 mins
• Yields: 1 9inch cheesecake

Ingredients

• Crust

• 2  cups  vanilla wafers, finely crushed
• 5  tablespoons butter, melted

• Filling

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1/4ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 4  large eggs, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 1⁄2 cup irish cream
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
•  semisweet chocolate, grated for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. (I've added this step based on the comments of many of you have tried this recipe - thanks for you input). Place a baking pan of water on the lower rack of the oven to help prevent cracking while baking.
3. Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs and butter in a small mixing bowl.
4. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
5. Hold this pan in the freezer until ready to fill.
6. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
7. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Add the geletin; mix well at low speed.
9. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
10. Stir in the sour cream, Irish Cream and vanilla.
11. Spoon the mixture over the crust.
12. Bake at 300 for one hour and fifteen minutes.
13. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!
14. Turn off oven, KEEP THE OVEN DOOR CLOSED.
15. Allow the cheesecake to remain in the oven for an additional one hour and fifteen minutes.
16. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME!
17. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and carefully remove the springform pan.
18. Place on a decorative plate and serve at room temperature or chilled.
19. May garnish with grated semi-sweet chocolate.