Peppermint Cheesecake

Peppermint Cheesecake
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Peppermint Cheesecake will turn your holiday dessert table into a winter wonderland. Infused with crushed candy canes and a kiss of peppermint extract, the creamy cheesecake filling is complimented by an Oreo cookie crust and a pretty-in-pink ganache.

December is the best month of the whole year. You can deck the halls with boughs of holly, don your gay apparel and skip your salon appointment because nobody can tell if you are rocking gray roots or adding tinsel to the top of your head. Well, nobody but Carol that is. Not the ancient Yuletide carol I have been fa-la-la’ing about all week. I mean Carol who likes to point out how my neglected roots look like an aluminum Christmas tree from 1955.

If you ask me, Carol doesn’t deserve diddly squat from Santa this year.

functional image peppermint cheesecake top down with one slice cut and snowflake marshmallows christmas cheesecake holiday dessert

Like the song says, ’tis the season to be jolly, not the season to be sitting in a salon chair for hours on end. So instead of coloring my sparkly roots, I am coloring white chocolate ganache the perfect shade of pink for a holly jolly cheesecake. Trust me, dessert does not get any jollier than Peppermint Cheesecake. Filled with crushed candy canes and a kiss of peppermint extract, this Christmas cheesecake will bring holiday cheer to all party guests.

Except Carol, whose invitation just got “lost” in the mail.

functional image peppermint cheesecake marshmallow snowflakes candy canes two slices on snowflake plates

Before sharing the recipe for Peppermint Cheesecake, here are a few baking tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

Full fat cream cheese is recommended for the cheesecake filling. Substitute reduced fat if you are counting calories, but absolutely no fat free substitutions are allowed.

Cream cheese and eggs must be at room temperature before beginning. If you’ve forgotten to take them out of the refrigerator ahead of time, don’t worry. You can speed up the softening process by placing sealed foil blocks of cream cheese and eggs into a bowl of warm water for 10 to 20 minutes.

Sour cream must also be at room temperature before beginning.

Peppermint Cheesecake Preparation Tips

In order to keep cheesecake from sinking in the middle, beat eggs on low speed until they are just combined. Avoid overbeating because it adds too much air, which leads to craters and cracks while baking.

Wet a butter knife with hot water then gently glide it around the outside edge of the baked cheesecake to loosen it from the pan before unlatching and removing the springform rim.

How to Store Cheesecake

Cover cheesecake leftovers with plastic wrap then store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Cheesecake freezes well when double wrapped. First, cover in plastic wrap. Next, cover in aluminum foil then place in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

functional image peppermint cheesecake one slice on a plate topped with crushed candy canes side view so you can see layers oreo crust and white chocolate ganache dyed pink

I hope you enjoy this Oreo Peppermint Cheesecake recipe. Please leave a rating and review below when you get the chance to try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like the taste of peppermint candy then you’ll love this recipe for Boozy Peppermint Bark. Smooth, sweet and so much fresher than store bought, this bark is the merriest mix of Christmas flavors.

functional image boozy peppermint bark with crushed candy canes and a Santa hat
functional image pink peppermint cheesecake with snowflake marshmallows crushed candy canes top down photo winter wonderland scene

Peppermint Cheesecake

Heather Wolf
Peppermint Cheesecake will turn your holiday dessert table into a winter wonderland. Infused with crushed candy canes and a kiss of peppermint extract, the creamy cheesecake filling is complimented by an Oreo cookie crust and a pretty-in-pink ganache.
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chill 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Course Cheesecake
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 9-inch springform pan

Ingredients
  

Oreo Crust

  • 25 Oreo cookies
  • 5 Tbsp unsalted butter melted

Peppermint Cheesecake

  • 24 ounces full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1/3 cup finely crushed candy canes (about 4 large candy canes)
  • 3 large eggs room temperature

White Chocolate Ganache

  • 6 ounces white chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 drops pink food coloring gel

Garnish

  • crushed candy canes
  • marshmallow snowflakes store bought

Instructions
 

Oreo Crust

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of an 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Pulse Oreo cookies, including cream filling, in a food processor until fine crumbs form. (Yield will be approximately 1.5 cups of crumbs.)
  • Add melted butter to Oreo crumbs then pulse until evenly moistened.
  • Using the bottom of a clean measuring cup, firmly press crumbs into base of springform pan.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust sets. Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Peppermint Cheesecake

  • Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
  • Beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and lump free. (Approximately 3 minutes.) Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula as needed.
  • Add 2 Tablespoons of flour and beat until incorporated.
  • Add sour cream, vanilla, peppermint extract and crushed candy canes then beat until combined.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low for a few seconds after each addition until just combined. (Overbeaten eggs will cause baked cheesecakes to crack so only beat the bare minimum.)
  • Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared Oreo crust.
  • Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until the cheesecake's edges are set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Keeping cheesecake in the oven and the door ajar with a wooden spoon, turn oven off and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
  • Remove cheesecake from the oven. Place springform pan on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before topping with ganache.
  • Once cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, wet a butter knife with hot water then gently glide it around the outside edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan before unlatching and removing the springform rim.

White Chocolate Ganache

  • Place white chocolate and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
  • Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Immediately remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
  • Add a few drops of pink food coloring then stir until color is evenly distributed.
  • Spoon the ganache on top of cheesecake then spread to the edges with an offset spatula until smooth and even. Top with crushed candy canes.
  • Refrigerate cheesecake for a minimum of 4 hours before slicing.

Serve

  • If desired, garnish cheesecake with marshmallow snowflakes and a few more crushed candy canes before serving.
  • Cheesecake will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Keyword cheesecake, peppermint


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Romy
2 years ago

5 stars
This looks so rich and yummy.. Love the color too!

Gervin Khan
Gervin Khan
2 years ago

5 stars
Oh my goodness! This peppermint cheesecake looks really delicious.
I am so excited to make this for my kids this Christmas.

Cristina Petrini
2 years ago

5 stars
A classic taste of Christmas and make us a cheesecake? What an original idea you had! I copy it right away!

Life Mag Health
2 years ago

I love cheesecake, sadly I’ve never tried to bake one in my life. But thank you for your detailed step by-step recipe, I would really consider this when I do my very first cheesecake.

Beth
2 years ago

5 stars
This is a rich and smooth peppermint cheesecake. It’s always a people pleaser. Thanks for sharing your recipe

Brianne
2 years ago

5 stars
My family is obsessed with cheesecake. I am so looking forward to making this for them

Heather
2 years ago

5 stars
Give me peppermint everything for the holidays! I can’t wait to try this one!

Ebony
Ebony
2 years ago

5 stars
Peppermint is literally one of my favorite flavors and this recipe looks divine! I can’t wait to give it a try this weekend with my family!

Danni Torr
Danni Torr
2 years ago

5 stars
This cake is so pretty! I love that it’s pink. My daughter loves peppermint and with the pink color she will be over the moon when I make this for Christmas!

Nilakshi
Nilakshi
2 years ago

5 stars
The cake looks delicious. Thanks a ton for sharing the recipe and yes, the presentation is on point!

Jennifer Prince
2 years ago

5 stars
This sounds so good! And I love how you decorated it. So cute and festive for sure!

Thena Franssen
Thena Franssen
2 years ago

This looks amazing – and simple for a cheesecake! I can’t wait to make this over the holiday break!

Christine
Christine
2 years ago

Looks so so good!!

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