Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream Recipe

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream: A quick + simple imitation recipe for Bailey's using very limited ingredients. This is the BEST Irish cream recipe you'll ever try!

Welcome to Homemade Holiday Inspiration. Each week of November we will be inspiring you with recipes, decorating ideas, crafts, homemade gift ideas and much more! Be sure to check out more homemade holiday gifts at the bottom of this post from some of my talented blogging friends.

With the holiday season having snuck up on us (seriously where has the year gone?!), there is no better way to celebrate than with a good alcoholic Christmas drink recipe.

One of my favorites that I turn to all year round is a good Bailey's Irish cream. The problem I always run into is how expensive the price of Bailey's is when you buy it in the store. So I thought, why not make my own homemade Irish cream recipe?

It took me several times to come up with the truly BEST Homemade Bailey's but I did it! It was adapted from this version by As Easy As Apple Pie. Trust me when I tell you this is the BEST!! In fact, I'm sure you'll never be able to touch the commercial stuff again. It's so good.

You can even use this as a coffee creamer, distance drinking, and especially around Christmas and St. Patrick's Day. I won't even shame you for AM drinking in this case!

Now before we get to this delicious Homemade Bailey's Irish cream recipe, let's chat liqueur choices, shall we?

Choosing the best Irish whiskey

One of the keys to this recipe comes down to the Irish whiskey you put in it. It can truly make or break your Irish cream. I cannot recommend Jameson brand enough.

However, if there's another variation that you enjoy more, you can always use that. I would keep in mind that other choices may create a very strong and overpowered alcoholic taste.

Note: while other types of alcohol can be used, they too will yield different results. Keep that in mind when choose your liqueur!

Kitchen tools you might need

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• Hand mixer: For the nature of this recipe, I highly recommend a good hand mixer so you don't accidentally curdle the Irish cream.
• Glass bottles: These are great bottles for storing alcoholic drinks during the holidays!

Bailey's Irish cream ingredients

• Heavy cream: .You can also use half&half - just don't use regular milk or you'll lose that delicious creamy consistency!
• Sweetened condensed milk: Make sure the condensed milk is sweetened for the best taste!
• Chocolate syrup: The chocolate flavor is absolutely delicious. You can also use cocoa powder mixed with a bit of cream.
• Instant coffee granules: Don't prepare the coffee - just use the granules! You can also use a couple shots of espresso, if available.
• Vanilla extract: Make sure to use pure vanilla extract and not imitation for best flavor.
• Irish whiskey: I used Jameson for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite Irish whiskey!

How to make Irish cream liqueur

1. Combine the cream, sweetened condensed milk, instant coffee granules, chocolate syrup, and vanilla with an electric mixer on LOW speed (this is very important not to curdle your irish cream!).
2. Slowly add your whiskey while continuing to mix on low, until well incorporated.
3. Pour into airtight glass bottles and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
4. Shake well before consuming and enjoy!!

Why did my Homemade Irish cream curdle?

It is incredibly common to end up curdling the Irish cream if you're not careful. It may even turn into the consistency of whipping cream.

The trick is to blend the ingredients together on a very LOW speed and add the whiskey separately. It helps to use CHILLED whiskey, as well.

Try straining your Irish cream, you may still be able to consume it! If not, just try again.

Uses for Homemade Irish Cream

While this makes a great holiday drink recipe, there are even more uses for Bailey's Irish cream! Honestly, there is no "wrong" way to use this stuff, it's so good and can go with a variety of different things.

Here are a few things you can try:

• Creamer in your morning coffee (I don't judge!)
• Topping on some vanilla ice cream
• Added to shakes, smoothies, hot chocolate, etc
• Added ingredient for baked goods (yes, really!)

How to store homemade Irish cream

When it comes to storing your homemade Irish cream recipe, I highly encourage you to purchase some airtight glass bottles. Due to the dairy content, this can easily go bad quickly.

The remedy to that is airtight containers stored in the refrigerator. That way, it will last about 2 months, as long as it's stored properly.

Irish Cream Variations

Once you've tried this Homemade Bailey's recipe, try switching things up! Here are a few other ways you can enjoy this delicious Irish cream liquor:

• Virgin: While this is traditionally made with whiskey, you can omit for an alcohol-free version.
• Chocolate Orange: Try adding some orange extract for that Christmas-y chocolate orange flavor combination!
• Chocolate Mint: Much like the previous idea, add some mint or peppermint extract to the recipe!
• Flavored whiskey: If you're a fan of flavored alcohol, you can also try whiskeys with added flavor such as peanut butter, maple, honey, or even chocolate!

More whiskey recipes:

• Blood Orange Whiskey
• Hot Fireball Apple Cider
• Kahula, Eggnog, and Irish Whiskey Cocktail

Try these other drink recipes:

• Dalgona Coffee
• Eggnog Drink Recipe
• Pomegranate Mimosa

There is something really special about giving and receiving a homemade gift from the kitchen. These delicious recipes from fellow bloggers are sure to please everyone on your Christmas list!  Mistletoe Spiced Cider from Design Dazzle  Homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream from Fresh Coast Eats Cookie Dough Truffles from Hoosier Homemade Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix from House of Nash Eats  M & M Cookie Mix in a Jar from Marty’s Musings  Peppermint Hot Chocolate Gift Jars from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  Homemade Vanilla Extract from Rose Bakes Rosemary Salt from Savory Experiments  Slow Cooker Apple Butter from The Flour Handprint  Slow Cooker Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters from The How to Home  Instant Pot Raspberry Chipotle Jam from What’s Cookin’ Chicago 

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