Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Sharing is caring!

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Merry Christmas! Today I would like to share a brand new recipe for Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake that I must admit is not totally clean. However, it is completely from scratch which is the most important part. Plus this is a Christmas Special Edition post, so we can indulge a little. 🙂

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

For my family’s Thanksgiving this year, I tried my hand at my first ever cheesecake. It had a double chocolate chip cookie crust, pumpkin spice filling, chocolate ganache topping, and some buttercream piped around the border to clean up the edges. I know, it was probably the least healthy thing I’ve ever made, but in my defense it was 100% from scratch–even the cookies for the crust. (My favorite cookies to use are Andes Candies Cookies!)

Cheesecake and whipped cream close up

Although traditional cream cheese would work in to make this Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake, if you’d like to knock off a few calories, go with Neufchatel cheese instead. It has a third of the fat as regular. It’s also important to make sure that aren’t too many added gums and stabilizers added to the cheese. That’s why I prefer using Organic Valley’s which only contains organic locust bean gum in addition to the milk and enzymes.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Anyway, this whole endeavor inspired me to take a standard chocolate cheesecake recipe and make a Christmas edition by making a peppermint chocolate ganache and topping it off with some crushed candy canes.

Now this is a pretty involved recipes, so be sure to read through the whole thing before you start and make sure you have plenty of time to spend in the kitchen. Enjoy and merry Christmas!

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

More Recipes to Try

Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is the ultimate Christmas dessert. It's so rich and decadent, no one will believe there are no eggs!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Cooling and Setting Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Rachel Alexandra

Equipment

  • 8 inch springform pan
  • Food processor
  • Double boiler
  • Stand mixer

Ingredients

Crust

Filling

Chocolate Peppermint Ganache

  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • cup Organic Valley whipping cream
  • 1 tsp Irish butter melted
  • ¼ tsp peppermint extract
  • Crushed candy canes

Instructions

Crust

  • Line the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with melted butter.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the cookie crumbs with the melted butter. Then press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.

Filling

  • Add approximately an inch of water to the bottom of a double boiler and melt one cup of dark chocolate chips on medium-low heat. Stir every few minutes and be sure not to get any water or steam in the chocolate.
  • When the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the Neufchatel cheese, chocolate mixture, sugar, honey, cocoa, vanilla, and sea salt.
  • Turn the mixer to low and mix until all the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often to make sure all the ingredients are being incorporated. Do not overmix.
  • Transfer the filling to the springform pan and use a small offset spatula to smooth it out evenly in the pan.
  • Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven at all during this time!
  • Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for another 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until it is time to take the cheesecake out.
  • Remove cheesecake from oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.

Chocolate Peppermint Ganache

  • Place ½ cup of dark chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl.
  • In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a boil on medium-low heat. Stir in the melted butter.
  • Remove from heat and pour the cream mixture onto the chocolate chips and let stand for 5 minutes.
  • When the time is up, whisk the mixture until smooth and creamy. Then stir in the peppermint extract.
  • Pour the ganache on the cheesecake and smooth it out with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top for a finishing touch. Be sure to do this right away before the ganache cools and hardens. Serve with homemade whipped cream.

Notes

Do not cover the cheesecake until it is completely cool to prevent condensation from forming on the cake. If this does happen, dab it off using a paper towel.
Make the Andes Candies Cookies ahead of time and store in the freezer until you want to make the cheesecake.
Tried this recipe?Mention @roots_and_rosemary or tag #rootsandrosemary



23 thoughts on “Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake”

Leave a Reply