Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

This Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake has a chocolate cheesecake layer topped with a minty green cheesecake layer on an Oreo crust. It’s the perfect decadent holiday treat!

We’re T-4 days from Christmas. Whaaaaat?!

For real though, that means we have 10 days left of this year. 10 DAYS. I’m having a minor fit of anxiety every time I realize how quickly this year has passed, and how much life will change in 2015, and just all the things that come with growing up, and another year. It’s mind-boggling.

But for now, while I quietly freak out to myself and try to refrain from complaining to all you about it on the Internet, let’s focus on the holidays. More importantly, let’s focus on cheesecake. A big, minty, chocolatey, multi-layered, deliciously decadent cheesecake.

It took me a while to work up the nerve to make cheesecake the first time, because it always seemed like so much could go wrong. It could crack, it could get all weird and eggy, I could totally over or under bake it. Also, the whole water bath thing just seemed like a lot of dangerous work. Clumsy me trying to mess with boiling water in an oven? Not a great idea.

Then I gave it go, making this s’mores cheesecake, and I realized cheesecake just seems scary, but really, with a few tricks (and none of that water bath stuff), it isn’t so hard! This recipe uses relatively few ingredients, and comes together in less than 20 minutes. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert, since you need to refrigerate it overnight before serving – but what’s nicer than not having to worry about finishing a dessert the day you’re serving it?!

Despite this cheesecake being easy, it’s still totally impressive with it’s two layers! But don’t worry – you’re only making one cheesecake batter. After the plain cheesecake batter comes together, you just split up the batter. Fold melted chocolate into one half and spread it in the prepared Oreo crust. Fold mint chips and extract into the other half and pour it on top of the chocolate batter. Voila – two beautiful, delicious cheesecake layers! After cooling, it all gets topped with hot fudge and more minty chips.

As for how it tastes? This cheesecake is rich, smooth, and creamy. It’s not overly chocolatey, or overly minty – it walks the line of being totally decadent, but the freshness of the peppermint gives the perfect balance. The fudge on top adds a delicious richness as well, so be sure to use a hot fudge you love!

Another perk of the hot fudge? It covers mistakes. My cheesecake got a big ole crack in the middle of it, because I totally forgot to run my knife around my cheesecake after it came out of the oven, so as the cheesecake cooled, some valleys formed in the middle. Uh oh…I freaked out, and then found this article which totally taught me how to fix the cracks in my cheesecake. It looked way better – you could barely tell the difference!

This mint chocolate chip cheesecake is sure to be a hit this holiday season, and will be the perfect ending to a decadent Christmas dinner! Happy holidays, and enjoy!

PrintMint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the crust
• 24 Oreos, crushed into crumbs (I used Peppermint Oreos)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake
• 16 oz. cream cheese (2 8 oz. blocks), room temperature
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 1/2 cup Andes creme de menthe baking chips
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Green food coloring
• 1 12 oz. jar hot fudge
• Andes creme de menthe baking chips, to garnish

Instructions

For the crust
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar and melted butter. Press evenly in and up the sides of a lightly greased 10-inch springform pan. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
For the cheesecake
3. In bowl of stand mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, until combine. Add vanilla.
4. Divide batter in half. To one half, add in the 1/3 cup melted chocolate chips, stir until completely combined. Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared crust. To the other half, color with green food coloring to reach a pale, minty green color (remember, a little bit goes a long way!). Fold in the mint chips and peppermint extract. Pour mint chip batter evenly over the chocolate batter.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes until center is set. Take care not to over bake. Cool cheesecake for 30 minutes on wire rack. Slightly loosen cheesecake from pan by running a knife around the edges, this will also help prevent cracking. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.
6. Keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

3.0http://www.bakerita.com/mint-chocolate-chip-cheesecake/