This unique Mint Chocolate Cheesecake is colored green and flavored with mint using creme de menthe liquor. Easy to make, creamy, and refreshingly delicious. Wow your guests with this minty green delicacy! A perfect treat for Christmas, Easter or St. Patrick's Day. You can make it in one large pan or cupcake tins for mini personal cheesecakes.
Mint chocolate cheesecake makes a wonderful holiday dessert where green is one of the festive colors, like Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter.
Mint chocolate cheesecake was first created for St. Patrick's Day, when my kids were obsessed with eating everything rainbow or green. We also created green almond milk pancakes, green cupcakes with buttercream frosting, and rainbow cream cheese filled croissants.
Our favorite green recipe is this incredibly delicious and stunningly green mint chocolate cheesecake with oreo crust.
This mint chocolate cheesecake was inspired by a fantastic looking recipe I saw in Taste of Home. That recipe requires more steps, more ingredients, and more resting time than the one I have created.
I knew that I wanted to alter it to make it more simplistic and cut down on the ingredients without sacrificing taste. Well, I set out to the store and, ironically, found creme de menthe baking chips at my favorite store Lidl. I got home to my parent's house and was poking around in their liquor cabinet for something unrelated, when front and center was an old "creme de menthe" liquor bottle.
It was green. I then realized, how in the world was my cheesecake going to be green when none of my ingredients were green?!
I was supposed to buy creme de menthe liquor, not baking chips!
Apparently, that bottle of creme de menthe had been my grandfather's. He passed away nearly 35 years ago but used to drink shots of creme de menthe pretty regularly. I wish I could thank him!
I know that to some, making a cheesecake sounds overwhelming but this King Arthur recipe and blog has some really great tips and tricks for beginners. It took me many tries to find the right technique and get the correct proportion of ingredients to perfect my cheesecake recipes.
Now that I have the basics down, it's easy to make a cheesecake for any occasion! Don't give up and you'll eventually get it right too.
Ingredients
To make mint chocolate chip cheesecake you need:
- crushed oreos (about 15, minus the cream)
- white sugar
- melted butter
- very soft cream cheese
- white sugar
- melted white chocolate chips
- eggs (slightly warm)
- peppermint extract (or vanilla extract*)
- creme de menthe liquor
I have not yet made this using vanilla extract in place of the peppermint extract. I only suggest that you do so if you're unable to buy peppermint. Because most people have vanilla extract readily on hand and it's less expensive, vanilla is your second best option.
The creme de menthe has a pretty strong mint flavor, so you would likely only lose a little bit of the minty taste if using vanilla extract.
For serving your mint chocolate cheesecake, I suggest:
- whipped cream
- chocolate sauce
You can also make a chocolate ganache or sauce topping instead of using a store bought one. This recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction sounds fantastic, though I have never made it.
Tips
Before making this mint chocolate cheesecake, make sure to carefully read my suggestions for a crack-free, lump-free perfect cheesecake.
Making this rich and creamy mint chocolate cheesecake is not complicated, but make sure to follow these suggestions for the best outcome:
- Make sure the cream cheese is very, very soft so it does not stay clumpy when mixed. If not soft enough, microwave in 10 second increments.
- Use slightly warmed or room temperature eggs. I microwave mine for about 20 seconds.
- Add the eggs last and do not over beat them or mix them into the batter too quickly.
These recommendations are crucial to having a clump free, creamy batter. If you add cold eggs, they will cause the soft cream cheese to harden and become clumpy.
I add eggs last because they bring air into the batter and over mixing them can contribute to a cracked cake.
To find out how else to prevent the cake from cracking, check out my tips in this pumpkin spice cheesecake.
Step-By-Step Directions
Here are the steps to making a perfect mint chocolate cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a springform pan generously with melted butter or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl mix the crust ingredients. Line the bottom of the cheesecake pan with the crumble, pressing down with your fingers so it adheres.
- In a large bowl or electric stand mixer, cream the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Ensure your cream cheese is warm enough that it doesn't remain lumpy. If it does, microwave for 10-20 seconds and then beat again until smooth.
- Add the peppermint extract, melted chocolate chips, and 4 tablespoons of creme de menthe. Beat on low until smooth. Taste and add more creme de menthe if desired.
- Add the eggs and beat on low until eggs are just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or mix too fast, as this could put too much air into the cake, causing it to crack.
- Pour into the cheesecake pan and bake until center no longer wiggles, approximately 40-50 minutes. While cooking, place a pan with 1 inch of water into the oven to increase humidity and prevent cracking.
- Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before removing from the pan and cutting.
That's it! Enjoy 🙂
Recipe
Mint Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
Equipment
- spring foam pan, electric hand mixer
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1 ½ cups oreo cookie crumbs
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup sugar
For Cheesecake
- 4 packages of cream cheese, softened (8 ounces each)
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
- 4-5 tablespoons creme de menthe liquor
- 4 eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a springform pan generously with melted butter or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl mix the crust ingredients. Line the bottom of the cheesecake pan with the crumble, pressing down with your fingers so it adheres. (If you'd like to line the sides, double the crumbs and press them halfway up the pan)
- In a large bowl or electric stand mixer, cream the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Ensure your cream cheese is warm enough that it doesn't remain lumpy. If it does, microwave for 10-20 seconds and then beat again until smooth.
- Add the peppermint extract, melted chocolate chips, and 4 tablespoons of creme de menthe. Beat on low until smooth. Taste and add more creme de menthe if desired.
- Add the eggs and beat on low until eggs are just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or mix too fast, as this could put too much air into the cake, causing it to crack.
- Pour into the cheesecake pan and bake until center no longer wiggles, approximately 40-50 minutes. While cooking, place a pan with 1 inch of water into the oven to increase humidity and prevent cracking.
- Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before removing from pan and cutting. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving
Mint chocolate cheesecake is delicious topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. It is keeps well in the fridge for around 5 days.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please let me know what you thought in the comments below.
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