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 slice and share with friends and family.
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. The Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake is made with fresh mint flavor, chocolate chips, and a rich Chocolate Ganache Topping.
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. The only thing 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.
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.
MORE PEPPERMINT DESSERTS
Peppermint Oreo Fudge
Peppermint Bark Brownies
Chocolate Peppermint Hearts
Oreo Peppermint Bark Bread
TIPS FOR MAKING PEPPERMINT BARK CHEESECAKE
- Prep time: Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Then fill a large pan with water, and wrap a 9-inch springform pan in aluminum foil to protect it from the water bath. The water bath will help the cheesecake to bake evenly. Without it, the edges will start to burn before the middle is set.
- Crust: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or break them apart in a Ziploc bag. Once they’re all broken into coarse crumbs, add them to a bowl with ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Mix the ingredients together, then use your hands to press them into an even layer over the base and slightly up the sides of the prepared cake pan.
- Cheesecake batter: Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar together in your stand mixer at medium speed with the paddle attachment. Then add in the milk. Next, add one egg at a time. Once they are mixed in you can add the sour cream and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix the flour, candy canes, and mini chocolate chips. Add them to the electric mixer, and stir the chocolate and peppermint into the mixture.
- Baking time: Pour the filling into the crust, and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Put the pan in the water bath and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and leave it in the oven as the heat naturally releases for another hour. Take it from the oven and remove the aluminum foil.
- Chocolate Ganache: Add chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Set your microwave to 50% power and heat for 1 minute. Let it sit for 2 minutes before you stir the melted chocolate into a glossy mixture. Pour it over the cheesecake, and spread it out evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the chocolate set.
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VARIATIONS ON PEPPERMINT BARK CHEESECAKE
- 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 graham cracker, you can make a chocolate cookie 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.
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES
Chocolate Cheesecake
Oreo Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Brownie Cheesecake
HOW TO STORE PEPPERMINT BARK CHEESECAKE
- Serve: Peppermint Bark 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.
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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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!