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slice of peppermint bark cheesecake in front of the rest of the cheesecake

Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

Peppermint bark cheesecake is a no bake dessert that's just perfect for Christmas and the holiday season!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour
Chilling time 8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 9
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

Crust

  • 26 Oreo cookies
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

  • 3 8-ounce packages full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream very cold
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped peppermint bark*
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Topping

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 5.5 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
  • whipped cream chocolate curls, and chopped peppermint bark, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Crust

  1. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set pan aside.
  2. Place the Oreos in the bowl of a food processor and process until they form fine crumbs. With processor running, stream in the melted butter. Process until the crumbs are evenly coated in butter, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
  3. (Alternatively, you can place the cookies in a large zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin, then transfer to a bowl to mix in the butter.)
  4. Press the crumbs into the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Freeze the crust for 20 minutes; leave in the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling

  1. Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low to combined. Turn mixer to medium and beat until very smooth and creamy, 3 or 4 minutes.
  2. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat in the mint extract, vanilla extract, and salt to combine.
  3. Turn mixer to low and gradually beat in the heavy cream.
  4. Once all the heavy cream has been added, gradually turn mixer to high and beat until the mixture is very stiff (basically, it should hold stiff peaks like whipped cream). This will take 5 to 10 minutes; stop the mixer a few times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. (You really want to beat well here; whipping the cream is what helps the cheesecake hold its shape.)
  5. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the peppermint bark and mini chocolate chips.
  6. Scrape the mixture into the frozen crust, smooth the top, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to a couple of days).

Topping

  1. After the cheesecake has chilled, place the chopped white chocolate in a small mixing bowl.
  2. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat and warm the cream until it just begins to steam. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes.
  3. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth—the ganache will be fairly thin.
  4. Pour over the chilled cheesecake, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour to set the ganache.
  5. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and additional peppermint bark (if desired).
  6. Slice and serve.
  7. Uneaten cheesecake can be stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 3 days or in the freezer (tightly wrapped) for up to 2 months. (Defrost frozen cheesecake in the fridge overnight before serving.)

Recipe Notes

  • *You’ll need about 7 to 7 1/2 ounces peppermint bark to get 1 1/2 cups
  • I don't recommend using chocolate chips in the ganache
  • When you make the ganache, you want the chocolate to be really finely chopped so that it melts properly, but white chocolate still doesn’t always melt easily. If your chocolate won’t melt fully in the heavy cream, you can heat the ganache in the microwave in 5-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the ganache is smooth.