Peppermint Cheesecake

This creamy peppermint cheesecake has an Oreo cookie crust and chocolate ganache topping. The texture is smooth and velvety without being too dense, and the flavor is a delicious creamy peppermint that's perfect for the holidays.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake, Peppermint Cheesecake

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 50

Chilling 6

Total Time 7 35

Servings pieces

Calories 659kcal

Author Fiona Dowling

Equipment

9-inch (23 cm) springform pan
large roasting pan (big enough for the springform pan to fit inside)

Ingredients

Oreo Crust

30 Oreo cookies wafers and filling
⅓ cup unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

24 oz cream cheese (680 grams) full-fat, brick-style
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250 grams)
1 cup sour cream (240 ml)
1 tablespoon cornstarch AKA cornflour in the UK and Australia, or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract to taste
2-4 drops red food coloring optional
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks discard the whites

Chocolate Ganache

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (170 grams) finely chopped
⅔ cup heavy cream (120 ml) 33-35% MF
2 crushed candy canes
whipping cream for decorating

For the Waterbath

hot water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F (170C) degrees.
Wrap the outside a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. I recommend wrapping with an oven bag first. Then wrap the outside at least 4 times with aluminum foil so that the bottom and sides are covered, and all the seams are covered at least once.

Oreo Crust

Add the Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) to a food processor and process until fine crumbs. (Or place in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pan).
Mix together the crushed cookies and melted butter. You can either do a few pulses in the food processor or mix together in a bowl with a fork.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan, creating a slight lip around the edges.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven. Keep the oven turned on the pan wrapped.

Cheesecake Filling

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until soft and creamy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Add in the sour cream, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 1-2 drops red food coloring. I recommend sifting in the cornstarch. Beat together until incorporated and smooth. Taste test the batter. Optionally, add in a little more peppermint extract to your taste and a little more food coloring depending on the color you'd like.
In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 eggs and additional 2 egg yolks.
Beat the eggs into the cream cheese mixture about ½ at a time with the mixer on a low speed. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see pieces of egg.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan on top of the crust.

Baking & Cooling the Cheesecake

Place the cheesecake in the middle of a large roasting pan.
Pour water into the roasting pan so there's about ½ - 1 inch of water in it.
Place the entire contraption in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top looks just set and if you give the cheesecake a nudge it has a slight wobble. It should wobble like jello or pudding, but not like a glass of milk.
Remove the entire contraption from the oven.
Cool the cheesecake in the waterbath until it's room temperature. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan (still in the springform pan), cover and place in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours.

Chocolate Ganache

Add the finely chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl.
Add the heavy cream to a microwave safe measuring cup, and microwave for 30 second intervals until almost boiling.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate isn't quite melted, microwave for 30 seconds on medium power (do not use high power, which is often the default).
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge. Carefully trace around the edge of the springform pan with a thin knife (not a table knife) and unclamp the outer ring of the cheesecake.
Blot any moisture off of the top of the cheesecake using a paper towel. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, allowing it to drip over the sides. Place the cheesecake back in the fridge until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, crush the candy canes (I do this with a rolling pin) and sprinkle over the cheesecake. Slice with a thin, sharp knife. Be sure to slice all the way through the crust.

Notes

Room Temperature Ingredients: The cream cheese, sour cream and eggs should be room temperature before getting started. Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to making the cheesecake. Take the cream cheese out of the package and cut into cubes and measure out the sour cream. Eggs can be placed in a bowl of warm water to speed up the process.
Cream Cheese: Be sure to use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. Do not use low fat, spreadable, whipped or anything that comes in a tub.
Sour Cream: I used 7% MF sour cream. It can also be substituted for plain Greek yogurt (it must be Greek yogurt for the proper consistency). Do not use vanilla flavored yogurt.
Peppermint Extract: Peppermint extract can be found in the baking aisle near the vanilla extract.
Eggs: You will need 5 eggs in total - 3 full eggs and just the egg yolks from the 4th and 5th eggs.
Chocolate: Feel free to use semi-sweet or dark chocolate around 50%. I prefer to use chopped chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips, but either will work.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Because the cheesecake needs to chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge, I typically make the cheesecake the day before I want to serve it. You can add the chocolate ganache at any point in time when the cheesecake is in the fridge. Just be sure to only add the crushed candy canes right before serving.
- Store leftover cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition