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This White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is an indulgent dessert for the festive season. With crushed peppermints or candy canes, it brings a freshness to your holiday menu that's totally awesome.
Sure, Christmas dinner is great. There's turkey or ham plus Brussel sprouts, potatoes, fresh dinner rolls, all the good stuff. Sage stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. There's a lot to look forward to and a lot to be grateful for. But my question is always, what's for dessert? And if someone asks me to bring a dish, this is always what I volunteer for.
I feel like my day isn't complete until I've had dessert. It doesn't always have to be a big extravagant thing, but I need some sugar before I can close down my eating for the day. I'm sure this is a horrible unhealthy habit, but it's not one I'm willing to give up. So while most people are thinking about side dishes, I'm thinking about pie. Or sometimes cheesecake.
What makes White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake so awesome?
Often at Christmas, I'll serve this White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake, and it's always a hit. This is a decadent showstopper, and if you're the kind of person who loves to decorate their desserts, you could definitely get fancier than I did here. Add billows of snowy whipped cream and architectural shards of peppermint bark. Or trust that the awesome flavor is enough and keep it simple with some crushed up candy cane sprinkled over the light and minty white chocolate mousse layer.
What lies beneath all the outer beauty? Well, there's an Oreo crumb base that's thick and crunchy, then there's a layer of peppermint bark or other minty chocolate. That gets scattered over the crust before it bakes to add a boost of peppermint intensity. Then, of course, you get your deliciously creamy cream cheese base topped with that white chocolate peppermint mousse layer I mentioned. It tastes even better than it sounds.
Magical Properties of Peppermint
Mint is one of my favorite magical ingredients to work with because of it's resilience and tenacity. Ruled by Mercury and the element of fire, it's excellent for communication and stimulating for the mind. Use peppermint in spells for healing, money, travel, psychic development, or purification. (Source: WitchCraft Cocktails by Julia Halina Hadas)
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe. The full details are in the recipe card below.
- Oreos - or similar chocolate sandwich cookies
- Butter - unsalted and melted
- Cream cheese - softened; you'll need some for the topping as well as the cheesecake, so be sure you have plenty to work with
- White chocolate - this gets melted into the cheesecake and the topping, so again, make sure you have enough
- Flour - all-purpose or plain
- Heavy cream - or double cream
- Salt
- Peppermint extract
- Eggs - large and at room temp
- Peppermint bark - if you can't find this for purchase, you can always make your own, or use a different type of minty chocolate.
- Cool Whip - or Dream Topping (both are more stable than whipped cream)
- Vanilla extract
You'll also need a food processor, electric mixer, and a springform pan to make this recipe as easy as possible.
Tips for making White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
This is not exactly easy, but it's totally doable. Just know that baked cheesecake takes a long time to make properly, so plan on making the cheesecake at least a day in advance. Here are some important things to keep in mind as your making this recipe.
- Make sure all your cheesecake ingredients are at room temperature. The key to a successful cheesecake is an even mix, and room temperature ingredients will blend more smoothly.
- To avoid cracks in your cheesecake, you want to cool it slowly. I recommend starting your cheesecake earlyish in the day so it can have some time to cool in the open oven, then on the counter before you put it in the fridge overnight.
- If you do get cracks in your cheesecake, don't panic. We're adding a delicous topping, so it will cover up in imperfections.
All the details are in the recipe card. As long as you take your time and follow instructions. You'll be fine. And even if it doesn't look like a picture in a magazine, it's still going to taste amazing.
This White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is definitely going to be the thing they remember about your festive meal this year. It's gonna be absolutely awesome.
Looking for more awesome cheesecake recipes? Try these No-Bake Biscoff Cheesecake Bars or Caramel Toffee Cheesecake.
PrintWhite Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
This White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is an indulgent dessert for the festive season. With crushed peppermints or candy canes, it brings a freshness to your holiday menu that's totally awesome.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 600
- Yield: 9-inch round cheesecake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 cups (around 20 cookies) chocolate cookie crumbs (like oreos or bourbon biscuits)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 1-½ tablespoons flour
- 1-½ tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 eggs
- Approximately 1-½ cups pepermint bark pieces or other crunchy mint flavored chocolate
For the mousse
- ½ cups cool whip, thawed
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 1-½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoons vanilla
- Crushed peppermint candies, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Prepare your 9-inch springform pan by wrapping the outside with plastic wrap and then foil to keep any water from seeping in when you put it in a water bath.
- Use your food processor to crush up your cookies into fine crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, you can put the cookies in a zip top bag and and smash them with a rolling pin or other heavy object.)
- Add the melted butter to the cookie crumbs and pulse until your crumbs resemble wet sand.
- Pour your crumb mixture into your springform pan, and press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake your crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool while you get on with your cheesecake filling.
- Reduce oven heat to 325 F (160 C).
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat your cream cheese until smooth. Next beat in the sugar, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Beat in the melted white chocolate, flour, heavy cream, salt, and peppermint extract, and give the bowl another scrape.
- Beat the eggs in one at a time. Scrape and beat once more to make sure the mixture is completely smooth.
- Scatter your peppermint bark pieces evenly over your crust. Pour your cheesecake mixture over the crust and peppermint bark.
- Place your springform pan into a large roasting pan. Place the whole thing in the oven. Pull the rack out a bit so you can reach it easier. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it's about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Gently push the oven rack back into place, close the door, and bake your cheesecake for an hour.
- When the hour is up, turn off the oven, but don't open the door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 45 minutes.
- Remove the springform pan from the water bath and allow the cheesecake to cool on the counter for an hour. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to cool for at least four hours before adding the mousse.
- To make the white chocolate mousse, add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, and beat together until thick and smooth.
- Carefully spread the mousse over the top of the cheesecake, and return it to the fridge for another four hours at least.
- To add a bit of festive cheer, crush up a candy cane, and sprinkle the bits over your cheesecake just before serving. They'll be crunchy the first time around, but they'll melt in the fridge. It' fine. They make a cool watercolor effect and still impart peppermint flavor.
Follow me on Pinterest for more awesome cheesecake recipes.
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