Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

This chocolate peppermint cheesecake is perfect for holiday parties or special occasions. It has everything you love in a cheesecake along with a chocolate cookie crust, chopped chocolate, a chocolate ganache, and plenty of peppermint flavor. 

If you love the flavors of chocolate and peppermint then this is the cheesecake for you, it's like peppermint bark but in cheesecake form! It starts with a buttery chocolate peppermint crust, then a creamy cheesecake filling that's swirled with chopped chocolate and crushed candy canes, and finally a white chocolate ganache that is easy, delicious, and takes less than a minute to make. Yes, you need this cheesecake in your life! 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE:

For the Chocolate Crust: 

• Oreo crumbs: Good old regular Oreo cookies, not double-stuffed, no need to remove the filling. You will need 30 Oreo cookies or about 3 cups of Oreo cookie crumbs.  
• Butter: Melted and cooled, you just need enough to make the crust cohesive. Salted or unsalted butter are both fine.
• Peppermint extract: A little peppermint extract in the crust is so delicious, it makes the crust taste like a thin mint cookie!  

For the Cheesecake Filling: 

• Cream cheese: Brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. Fully softened to room temperature.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar.
• Flour: Flour helps to make the filling more sturdy and helps prevent cracks. 
• Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream and preferably room temperature, just as long as it's not too cold you'll be fine. 
• Peppermint extract: Just ½ a teaspoon is perfect.
• Eggs: Room temperature is a must! Leave the eggs out at room temperature for at least 1 hour or quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5-10 minutes. 
• Chopped semi-sweet and chopped white chocolate: 1 - 4 oz. bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate and 1 - 4 oz. bar of white baking chocolate, chopped into about ¼" pieces. If you don't like white chocolate feel free to use all semi-sweet chocolate or use all white chocolate if you'd like.
• Crushed candy canes: 6 regular-size red & white candy canes. The easiest way to crush candy canes is to place them in a large plastic bag and smash them with a large rolling pin.  

WATER BATH FOR CHEESECAKE: 

Cheesecakes love a humid environment, which is why baking in a water bath is recommended for the best results. The springform pan is placed in a larger pan that gets filled with boiling water and the steam from the water helps the cheesecake bake evenly and prevents cracks from forming on the surface. *Note: No matter how well you wrap your springform pan there is still a chance that water from the water bath can leak in and ruin your otherwise perfectly good cheesecake. This happened to me one too many times and so now I always follow a trick I learned thanks to lifeloveandsugar, which is to tie a slow cooker liner around the pan after wrapping it with aluminum foil. My cheesecakes have been perfectly dry ever since!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE:

• Prepare the springform pan: Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper and spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray. Wrap several layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom and sides and then tie a slow-cooker oven liner around the pan to keep water seeping in from the water bath.    
• Preheat your oven to 350°F and begin boiling water for the water bath.

Make the Chocolate Crust:

• Use a food processor to pulse the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Work in batches if needed. Mix the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter until combined. Add the mixture to your prepared pan and use a clean glass or a measuring cup to press it evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the Cheesecake Filling:

• Use a hand-held mixer to beat the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and flour together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add the sour cream and peppermint extract and mix until smooth. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined after each, and then mix until smooth after all of them are added. Try not to overmix. Fold in the chopped semi-sweet and white chocolate and the crushed candy canes. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust and use a rubber spatula to evenly spread it out. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles.

Bake:

• Place the cheesecake in a larger baking pan with high sides and carefully pour the boiling water around it, going up about 2 inches around the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 85-90 minutes, it should be set on the outside edges with a 2-3" wobbly center. You don't want to overbake the cheesecake or cracks can form on the surface. Turn the oven off and crack the door slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour, then let it cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Refrigerate overnight so the cheesecake can fully set. 

Chocolate Ganache:

The simple chocolate ganache spread on top is so delicious and makes the cheesecake look picture perfect! All you need to make it are some chocolate chips, heavy cream, and butter. I used white chocolate chips but milk or dark chocolate chips will also work.

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with the heavy cream and bring the cream to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth.
• Pour the ganache over the cooled cheesecake. It will harden the longer it sits.
• Decorate with some mini candy canes or sprinkle more crushed candy canes on top.

Enjoy! 

More Cheesecake Recipes:

• Marble Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake 
• Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake
• White Chocolate Cheesecake
• Caramel Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

📖 RECIPE

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Chocolate peppermint cheesecake is perfect for holiday parties or special occasions. It has everything you love in a cheesecake along with a chocolate cookie crust, chopped chocolate, a chocolate ganache, and plenty of peppermint flavor. 

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

chilling time: 12 hours hours

Total Time: 14 hours hours

Servings: 16 people

Equipment

• 9" springform pan
• slow cooker oven liner*

Ingredients

  

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Chocolate Crust:

• 30 regular Oreo cookies, about 3 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
• 5 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Cheesecake Filling:

• 3 (8 oz.) packages full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 and ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 oz. bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped in ¼" pieces
• 4 oz. bar white chocolate, chopped in ¼" pieces
• ½ cup red & white candy canes, crushed (about 6 regular-size candy canes)

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 cup white chocolate chips*
• 2 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

• Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper and spray generously with non-stick cooking spray. Tie a slow cooker oven liner tightly around the outside and wrap several layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom and up the sides.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F and begin boiling water for the water bath.
• Make the chocolate crust: Use a food processor to pulse the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Work in batches if needed. Use a fork to mix the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter until combined. Add the mixture to your prepared pan and use a clean glass or a measuring cup to press it evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
• Make the filling: Use a hand-held mixer to beat the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and flour together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add the sour cream and peppermint extract and mix until smooth. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined after each, and then mix until smooth after all of them are added. Try not to overmix. Fold in the chopped semi-sweet and white chocolate and the crushed candy canes. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust and use a rubber spatula to evenly spread it out. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles.
• Bake the Cheesecake: Place the cheesecake in a larger baking pan with high sides and carefully pour the boiling water around it, going up about 2 inches around the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 85-90 minutes, it should be set with a 2-3" wobbly center. Turn the oven off and keep the cheesecake in with the door slightly cracked. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour, then let it cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Refrigerate overnight so the cheesecake can fully set.
• Make the chocolate ganache: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with the heavy cream and bring the cream to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth.
• Pour the ganache over the cooled cheesecake and decorate with some mini candy canes or more crushed candy canes, if desired.

Notes

*You can also use milk or dark chocolate chips. 

I like to wrap a slow cooker oven liner around the springform pan before wrapping it with foil. That way there's no possibility any water from the water bath will leak into the cheesecake.

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.5g | Protein: 6.7g | Fat: 36.3g | Saturated Fat: 20.9g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 42.7g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg