Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake

This post originally appeared on I Heart Naptime last Christmas – but in case you missed it there, we wanted to be sure you saw it here, too! It’s too good to miss!

Let’s mix the youthful joy of the candy cane with the more mature flavor of the chocolate cheesecake. That’s right, a candy cane chocolate cheesecake … it’s all the holiday things in one dessert!

A cheesecake is the perfect dessert to bring to a holiday pot luck. It can be made ahead of time, but even though it’s delicious, you don’t want a whole cheesecake tempting you from the fridge! This way, you can enjoy a piece (or two), and also enjoy all of the compliments from your fellow partygoers!

 

For this recipe I used candy cane chocolate sandwich cookies for the crust. You can use Oreos, JoeJoes from Trader Joe’s, or leftover Thin Mint cookies that you’ve been hiding in the freezer! Since we don’t use mint in the cheesecake batter, it’s important to get a nice minty flavor in the crust.

For the topping, we placed a few large candy canes in a Ziploc bag, and crushed them with a rolling pin. You want to end up with about a cup of candy cane crumbs, and to bake half the crumbs in the middle of the cake and the other half as decoration on top of the ganache.

Alright, let’s stop talking about the deliciousness, and start baking!

Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2 c. mint sandwich cookie crumbs (we crush the cookies in a blender)
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 3 8oz. packages cream cheese
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. chocolate chips, melted
• 1/2 c. candy cane crumbs

Topping:

• 1 c. heavy cream
• 3/4 c. chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. candy cane crumbs

Instructions:

1. Combine the cookie crumbs and the melted butter, and press into a 9″ springform pan. Bake in a 350º oven for 10 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and the sugar. Mix until smooth.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after adding each egg.
4. Combine melted chocolate chips and vanilla, and mix them in to the batter until smooth.
5. Add half of the batter to the springform pan.
6. Sprinkle the 1/2 c. of candy cane crumbs to the batter in the pan, and then top with the remaining batter.
7. Bake in a 425º oven for 10 minutes, and then reduce the oven to 250º for 45 minutes.
8. When the cake is done baking, open the oven door, and let the cake stay in the oven until it is cooled.
9. Leave the cake in the pan, cover in aluminum foil and place in the fridge overnight.
10. When the cake is chilled, make the topping.
11. Warm the cream on the stove over low heat.
12. When the cream begins to bubble around the edges, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate chips.
13. Stir the chocolate until smooth.
14. Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan, and loosed the sides.
15. Remove the sides of the pan, and place the cake on a serving plate.
16. Pour the chocolate over the cake, allowing the chocolate to go over the sides.
17. To finish, sprinkle the chocolate topping with the remaining candy cane crumbs.