Baileys Irish Cream-Stuffed Chocolate Bar Recipe

These Baileys Irish cream–stuffed chocolate bars from developer Milena Manovola are the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers. They're made with perfectly tempered chocolate shells that don't just look beautiful but have the most satisfying snap and crunch when you bite into them. Inside the chocolate shells, there's a luscious, velvety filling infused with the rich Baileys Irish cream liqueur. You might think that these bars are probably hard to make and only accomplishable by professional chocolatiers, but fear not — the process is not as hard as you think. Here's a quick tip from Manolova: "Use high-quality chocolate. Since it's the main ingredient, this will not only result in a better taste, but it will also perform better when you're making the chocolates," she says.

All you need is six simple ingredients, a thermometer, and a bit of time. First, you need to make the filling so that it has time to set and firm up. This step is super quick and easy. Once the filling is ready, you can start tempering the chocolate until it reaches that glossy shine, fill your molds, add the filling, and seal the bars with more tempered chocolate. Refrigerate these for a few minutes, and you have perfect homemade chocolate bars that are sure to impress your family and friends.

You only need six ingredients to make these chocolate bars: heavy cream, Baileys Irish cream, vanilla extract, salt, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate.

To make the filling, combine the heavy cream, Baileys Irish cream, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until it starts to simmer.

Pour the liquid over the white chocolate and let it sit for 30–60 seconds.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Cover with plastic film, allowing the film to touch the surface of the mixture. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

To begin tempering the chocolate, add 8 ounces of the semi-sweet chocolate to a bowl and place it over simmering water. Melt the chocolate until it reaches no more than 115 F.

Remove from the heat and add 2 ounces of unmelted chocolate to temper the melted batch. Whisk continuously.

This should bring the chocolate temperature down to 82–84 F. If not, add more unmelted chocolate and continue whisking. This can take about 15 minutes.

Place the bowl over the steaming water again to bring the temperature up to 89–91 F. At this point, the chocolate is tempered and ready to use. (If you'd like to skip the tempering process, you can just melt the chocolate and fill the mold right away.)

Fill a chocolate mold with some of the tempered chocolate.

Remove the extra by turning the mold over a piece of parchment paper and shaking or tapping it off. Place the mold in the fridge for a couple of minutes to firm up the chocolate.

When the filling is ready, transfer it to a pipping bag and cut the end off.

Pipe the filling into the chocolate cavities, smoothing the filling out with a rubber spatula.

Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the filling and spread it with a spatula to seal the bottom. (If you need to temper the chocolate again, repeat steps 5–8.) Place the tray in the fridge for 2–3 minutes to firm up.

Remove from the fridge, flip the mold over to release the chocolate bars, and enjoy.

When it comes to creative filling options, the possibilities are endless. Besides Baileys, other liqueurs, such as Kahlua, Amaretto, or Frangelico, are also good options. Combining nut butters and chopped nuts — try hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios — with dried fruit like apricots, cherries, strawberries, bananas, or cranberries can create a delicious and complex filling. Caramel is something we see often in chocolate, but combining it with liqueurs, chopped nuts, or even herbs and spices can provide an interesting twist with unexpected flavors. 

Different ganache flavors are perfect to use as a filling, providing a creamy and rich texture that complements the crunchy chocolate shell. You can make ganache with dark, milk, or white chocolate, and for additional flavor, add some type of liqueur, chopped nuts, candied fruits, or even bits of crispy bacon. Marshmallow filling is another interesting and delicious option. You can make the marshmallow with different flavors, including vanilla, berries, chocolate, or coffee. Don't be afraid to experiment and find your favorite combinations.

Don't stop yourself from making chocolate bars just because you don't have chocolate molds. There are many other ways that you can make them, even if they won't have the classic chocolate bar shape. One of the options is to use silicone molds. These come in many shapes and sizes and are fairly inexpensive. Because they are so flexible, it's easy to remove the chocolate from the mold. Ice cube trays are another option.

However, if you don't have either of these, you can line a small baking tray with parchment paper and pour the filling over this. Let it firm up in the fridge or freezer, then slice the large brick into bars of your desired size and dip each one into the tempered chocolate. Then, place the bars back in the fridge for a few more minutes to set. Don't forget that you can also make the chocolate bars into bonbons or individual bites.