Cheesecake is always a hit for holiday parties, but it becomes even more festive and special when you introduce creamy, cozy white chocolate and wintery peppermint. Peppermint extract infuses the cheesecake with just the right amount of mintiness to offset the tangy cream cheese and keep the whole cake tasting cool and fresh. Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies add a sparkly red and white crunch throughout.
To make the cheesecake filling, you’ll need all the usual ingredients: cream cheese as the base, granulated sugar to sweeten, eggs to bind it all together, extracts like vanilla and peppermint for flavor, chopped white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies for pops of flavor and crunch…and sour cream for a lighter, softer texture.
If you don’t traditionally add sour cream to your cheesecakes, here’s why it’s a good idea to start: First, sour cream has a similar tang to cream cheese, so you won’t be disturbing the overall flavor. Second and more importantly, because sour cream is wetter and less dense than cream cheese, it adds just enough moisture to make the filling soft and smooth but not heavy.
Hood Sour Cream is perfect for baking because it’s made with high-quality Hood Milk and Cream. It’s a product that can be trusted for all of your holiday baking needs—from coffee cakes to cheesecakes like this one. And conveniently, it’s available in the dairy aisle of your local grocery store in 16 and 24-ounce tub containers or a 12-ounce squeeze bottle.
Tips to Make a Peppermint Cheesecake:
- Make sure your oven rack is set in the middle position of your oven. You don’t want to bake your cheesecake on the lower or upper rack because it will bake unevenly.
- The cookie crumb crust is as easy as can be—just mix crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies with a little butter to bind them and use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to firmly and evenly pack the crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan.
- Temperature is crucial when it comes to cheesecake. Make sure that your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature before baking (the cream cheese should be soft enough that you can press a finger through it with very little resistance).
- When adding the crushed peppermint candies to your cheesecake filling, stir quickly and minimally because the peppermint bits will begin to tint the batter pink.
- A springform pan is essential here. No other cake pan or deep-dish pie plate will make it possible for you to cleanly and easily remove the cheesecake. The latchable collar that forms the sides of a springform pan makes it a cinch to remove the pan from the cake while leaving it intact.
- Allow enough time to chill your cheesecake after baking—at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To achieve the perfect slice, dip a large chef’s knife into a cup filled with hot water, dry it with a kitchen towel, then slice. Clean and dip your knife between slices.
White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Smooth and creamy white chocolate cheesecake infused with cool peppermint flavor, a substantial chocolate cookie crust, and a cloud cover of whipped cream make this cheesecake recipe the holiday season’s best, most beautiful dessert!
- Prep Time30 mins
- Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
- Chilling Time8 hrs
- Total Time10 hrs
- Course: Dessert
- Keyword: holiday dessert, peppermint cheesecake
- Servings: 16
- Calories: 309kcal
Crust
- 22 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (not double-stuffed), broken in half
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup Hood Sour Cream
- 4 oz white chocolate, chopped
- ⅓ cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candy like starlight mints, plus more for topping
Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan.
- Process the cookies in a food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined, 6 to 8 pulses. Transfer the crumb mixture to prepared pan and use your hands to press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Tip: Using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until fragrant and set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.
- For the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scrape down the sides of bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla, peppermint extract, and beat just until combined, about 15 seconds. Add the chopped white chocolate and the peppermint bits and fold into the cheesecake quickly (you want to mix quickly and minimally because the peppermint bits will begin to tint the batter pink).
- Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust. Lift and gently tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Pop any air bubbles that have risen to surface.
- Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set and center jiggles slightly when shaken and (it Bake until edges are just golden and center jiggles slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan rim. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until completely cold, about 6 hours or overnight.
- To unmold the cheesecake, run a small sharp knife between around the sides of the pan, then unlock and release the sides. Optional: To loosen the crust from the pan, slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom, then slide the cheesecake onto your serving platter.For the topping, in a large bowl, beat the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until stiff peaks form. Spread half of the whipped cream over the cheesecake and spoon the remaining half into a large plastic bag, snip off one bottom corner of the bag with scissors and pipe the whipped cream in small circles around the edges of the cake. Sprinkle the top with more crushed peppermint candies.
- Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
