Peppermint Bark Cheesecake is rich and festive with chocolate and peppermint. Perfect to serve for a holiday party or after Christmas dinner.
This rich Dessert Recipe is the perfect combination of New York Cheesecake and Peppermint Bark. It takes the flavors of the classic Christmas candy and incorporates them into a delicious, creamy cake perfect to share with friends and family.
Sabrina’s Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
Chocolate and peppermint candies are the ultimate flavors of the holidays. The season just isn’t complete without a delicious peppermint-themed dessert, and this one is pure perfection. This cheesecake is made with mint candy flavor, chocolate chips, and a rich Chocolate Ganache Topping.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups Oreo Cookie crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup candy canes , crushed
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Ganache:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and wrap a 9-inch springform pan in a large piece of foil to protect from the water bath and a large pan of water you can set the springform pan in to bake.
Oreo Cookie Crust:
- Mix the Oreo cookie crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter and press into the bottom of the springform pan and 1 inch up the sides.
Cheesecake:
- In a stand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar then add in the milk until combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, then add in the sour cream and vanilla extract and until combined.
- Mix together flour, candy canes, and mini chocolate chips and mix into batter.
- Pour filling into pan over the crust and spread evenly.
- Place the pan in the water bath and bake for 1 hour.
- Turn off the oven, open the door a couple of inches to let the heat out gently, and let it cool for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven, discard the foil.
Ganache:
- To make ganache, add chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl.
- Cook on 50% power for 1 minute, let sit for 2 minutes.
- Stir until glossy and smooth.
- Pour over the cheesecake and spread gently.
- Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
The cheesecake filling itself is easy to make and comes out perfectly rich and creamy every time. It is made with the same basic ingredients as a classic cheesecake, and then it is finished off with chocolate and peppermint to make the dessert more festive.
Chef’s Note
To make the dish even more festive you can garnish the cheesecake with whole peppermint candies around the edge so there’s one on each slice of cheesecake. You could also add a dollop of Whipped Cream right before serving.
Can this be Made Ahead of Time?
Something to keep in mind is that the chocolate topping has to set overnight. So, make sure you prep the cheesecake a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. Refrigerate and let it set overnight.
How to Store
- Serve: Cheesecake has to set in the fridge before you serve it. When you take it out, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: You can store it for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, as long as you keep it covered in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer it to an airtight container.
- Freeze: To keep it longer, seal the cheesecake, and put it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Variations
- Flavor Variations: For a stronger peppermint flavor in the recipe, try mixing 1 teaspoon peppermint extract into the cheesecake batter. You could also try other extracts like mint, almond, or coconut extract for a different taste.
- Crust: Instead of Oreo, you can make a graham cracker crust. Just replace the Oreo cookies in the crumb mixture with graham crackers and proceed with the rest of the recipe as normal.
- White Chocolate Cheesecake: For a white chocolate bark cheesecake, use white chocolate chips in the cheesecake, and replace the semisweet chocolate chips in the ganache with white chocolate chips. Alternatively, you could also use milk or dark chocolate.
- Mini Cheesecakes: For adorable mini cheesecakes that are perfect for a party, distribute the crust and cheesecake batter evenly into a lined muffin tin. Then bake until the cheesecakes set.
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I made this last year for Christmas and it was awesome. Getting ready to make it again.
Great! Happy Holidays Jackie!
The cake was delicious, however I should have cooked it a little longer since the center did not fully set. Despite the center collapsing, everyone thought it was great tasting. It looked gorgeous too!
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Hi Roberta, was your cheescake pan the right size for the cheesecake? How much of the center collapsed for you? I know this comment was lost for almost a year so I understand if the answer is “who remembers?” but just wanted to check in and see if I can help now that I’ve seen this.
Followed the directions to the letter. I’ve made numerous other cheesecakes and have always had good success. This one however, was an epic failure. The crust was beyond greasy, and the filling incredibly loose before even baking it. The water bath caused nothing but a mess, and the cake never set, so when removing the ring on the springform pan, it just collapsed all over my counter. Would absolutely not recommend this recipe for anything.
Sorry for your experience with this, we’ve tested the recipe multiple times since the posting. We reduced the butter in the crust slightly but didn’t have any issue with the filling. Are you sure your springform pan was the right size? If it was filled too high/any smaller, it wouldn’t bake with the same timing.
Either way I’m very sorry for this experience, cheesecakes are a passion of mine, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else who loves cheesecakes too!