‘Tis the season for sweet indulgence.
Celebrate the holidays with a very Christmas-y inspired cheesecake. This White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is a sweet treat for an after Christmas dinner dessert – or anytime when you need a little sugar-packed pick-me-up during the doldrums of winter.
It starts with a classic cheesecake base, with the tangy flavors of cream cheese and sour cream to help offset the sugar, creating a nice balance. As for the sweetness, the batter incorporates melted white chocolate, along with additional bits of chopped white chocolate and peppermint bark.
It’s then generously topped with even more peppermint and white chocolate. Or, if you’re able to find it, you could use the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Morsels & More, which features chocolate chips, peppermint candies, and mini marshmallows. Finally, when it comes to the crust, you can feel free to make your own from chocolate cookies, such as Oreos, or chocolate graham crackers. Or, since it’s the holiday season and we all have a million other things going on, you can phone it in as I did, and just go store-bought for a little extra simplicity.
Time You Need
- ~20 minutes prep
- ~2 hours cooking
- ~3 hours rest
What You Need
- Chocolate cookie /graham cracker crust, store bought (or homemade made)
- 16 oz light cream cheese, room temp
- 4 ounces(about half a cup) light sour cream
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup of chopped white chocolate, melted and cooled
- ~1/3 cup of finely chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips + more for topping
- ½ cup of finely chopped peppermint bark, + more for topping
- Whipped cream, for topping
What You Do
- Preheat oven to 290 degrees.
- In a large bowl for a stand mixer, add cream cheese and beat for about 2 minutes to remove clumps. Then add in the sugar and sour cream, and mix beat for another minute.
- Next, add in the vanilla and peppermint extract, along with the melted chocolate and mix for another minute, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Working one at a time, add the eggs, and beat for 1 minute each.
- Now, fold in the chopped peppermint bark and white chocolate bits.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust. You can smooth with a spatula, and also lift and gently drop the cheesecake on the counter to help remove any air bubbles.
- Bake the cheesecake in the middle rack for about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Once done, turn oven off and crack door. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for about 1 hour. Then remove from oven and set on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
- Here you can sprinkle any additional peppermint bark or chopped/shaved white chocolate on the top.
- Then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
- Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!