Baileys cookies and cream parfaits are an easy alcoholic dessert that comes together in less than 15 minutes. Chocolate whipped cream is spiked with Baileys Irish Cream and layered with crushed sandwich cookies.
Baileys Irish Cream is a liqueur made with cream, chocolate, and Irish Whiskey. It is especially popular during St. Patrick's Day, making this a fantastic boozy dessert to celebrate the holiday.
This decadent Baileys dessert is made with homemade chocolate whipped cream that's spiked with Baileys Irish Cream and layers of crushed Oreo cookies. If you'd like to make these non-alcoholic and safe for guests of all ages, the Baileys can be substituted with Baileys flavored coffee creamer instead.
Serve Baileys cookies and cream parfaits to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, as an after-dinner dessert for adults, or at your next bachelorette party. Check out my full list of Baileys dessert recipes for even more ideas!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Glasses - For this recipe, you'll need three small decorative glasses to built your parfaits. I used small martini glasses. If you'd like to use stemless wine glasses, which are larger, you can probably make two large parfaits from this recipe.
- Heavy cream - For this recipe, you need either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Light cream, milk, or half & half will not work for this recipe. Only dairy with at least 30% milkfat will whip into whipped cream. Make sure your heavy cream is very cold before beginning.
- Oreo cookies - Cookies can be substituted with chocolate or vanilla wafers, or any flavor of Oreo cookie, like mint.
- Confectioner's sugar - Sweetens the cream and helps add stability. I don't recommend omitting the confectioner's sugar in this recipe because your whipped cream can turn out runny.
- Cocoa powder - Natural cocoa powder or Dutch cocoa powder works in this recipe. Dutch cocoa has a darker grey color and milder flavor, while natural cocoa is a brighter brown and has more intense chocolate flavor. I used natural cocoa for my parfaits.
- Baileys Irish Cream - Baileys is an alcoholic beverage that's made with chocolate, cream, and Irish whiskey. Any brand of Irish cream works in this recipe. If you'd like to make your parfaits non-alcoholic, you can use Baileys flavored coffee creamer by either Baileys or International Delight.
Tips and tricks
Start with cold heavy cream - Heavy cream whips much more easily when cold. If your kitchen is very warm, you may also want to chill your bowl and whisk before beginning.
Use a mixer - I highly recommend using either a hand mixer or stand mixer. Whipping cream by hand takes a lot of elbow grease and it's infinitely easier when using a mixer.
Whip until you see soft peaks - As your cream is whipping, you'll notice it get a little frothy, then begin to thicken. Once you can see your cream holding its shape in the bowl, stop the mixer. Lift your whisk out of the cream. If the tip of the whipped cream holds its shape but droops slightly - this is the "soft peaks" you are looking for.
Cream not whipping? - If your cream simply isn't thickening, transfer the bowl and whisk to the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes before continuing. Make sure you're using heavy cream, not a lower fat dairy product. Low fat dairy will not work in this recipe.
Mix dry ingredients until smooth - Add the cocoa, sugar, and Baileys to your whipped cream and continue whipping until smooth and stiff. The dry ingredients help add structure and stability to your whipped cream.
For crunchy cookies - Layer your parfaits and serve immediately.
For soft cookies - Layer your parfaits and refrigerate for 3 hours or more before serving. Cookies will soften to a cakelike texture over time.
Frequently asked questions
Baileys Irish Cream is a liqueur made with cream, chocolate, and Irish Whiskey.
Whipped cream tends to droop and lose its shape after about a day in the refrigerator, so I recommend consuming your parfaits within 24 hours. Keep in mind that your cookie layers will soften into a cakelike consistency within a few hours. If you'd like your cookies to stay crunchy, store layers separately and assemble just before serving.
A few reasons why cream isn't whipping into whipped cream:
- You're using room temperature or warm cream. Heavy cream must be cold to whip up properly. Place your entire bowl and whisk into the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes or more before continuing.
- You're using a lower fat alternative. Lower fat dairy will not whip into whipped cream. Whipped cream can only be made with dairy products with 30% milkfat or higher. Half & half can sometimes be whipped, but will deflate quickly and has a runny texture. Whole milk or non-dairy milks like almond milk won't whip into whipped cream at any point.
- You're using old or frozen and thawed heavy cream. If possible, use heavy cream that's fresh from the grocery store.
- Your bowl and/or whisk are warm. If you've just grabbed your mixing bowl from the hot dishwasher, allow it to cool down in the refrigerator before beginning.
Yes, the Baileys can simply be omitted from the recipe to make a chocolate whipped cream parfait. Baileys can also be substituted with Baileys flavored coffee creamer. Two brands currently offer this flavor - International Delight and Baileys.
If the recipe is divided into three equal parfaits, each serving contains one tablespoon of Baileys.
More recipes
📖 Recipe
Baileys Cookies and Cream Parfaits
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
- 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
- 8 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
Instructions
- Chill your heavy cream, bowl, and whisk before beginning. This ensures your cream whips up easily.
- Pour heavy cream into a large chilled bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip cream to soft peaks. When your whisk is lifted from the bowl, the whipped cream will hold its shape and the tip will droop slightly.
- Add the Baileys Irish Cream, confectioner's sugar, and cocoa powder to the bowl. Continue whipping until ingredients are fully incorporated. Whipped cream will hold its shape. You are looking for stiff peaks - the tip of your whipped cream will hold its shape and stand straight up when whisk is lifted from the mixing bowl.
- Layer whipped cream and crushed cookies into martini glasses or other decorative parfait glasses. Serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Parfaits are best made the same day as enjoying, but can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve. Cookies will soften if assembled ahead of time.
- If you over-whip your whipped cream, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir by hand or gently whisk until desired texture is achieved.
- Non-alcoholic version - Use Baileys coffee creamer, which is non-alcoholic, or omit the Baileys entirely to make chocolate whipped cream parfaits instead.
- This recipe contains alcohol and is not suitable for children under the legal drinking age.
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