Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Black Friday. The biggest shopping holiday of the year. A lot of girls I know get psyched about it, but truthfully it kind of makes me want to barf. I mean, even if I liked shopping on a regular day (which I definitely, DEFINITELY don't), I'm pretty sure there is no way you would catch me anywhere near a mall if I had to wake up early, sit in traffic to get there, circle the parking lot 3 times to find a spot, and then side step my way between a million strangers I've never met before just to get around the store.


Nope. Black Friday, you are not my fave. But do you know what is my fave? This cheesecake. MMM minty and chocolate-y with just the right amount of crunch. If you like mint-chocolate and even half way like cheesecake you should probably make this. You probs won't regret it. I know I didn't.


What you need
For the crust
9 graham cracker sheets
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. peppermint extract


For the filling
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
24 oz cream cheese (I used fat-free and it still tasted wonderful), at room temperature
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. peppermint extract

1/4 c. crushed peppermint pieces (take mints or candy canes and put them in a sealed plastic ziplock bag then hit it with a large metal spoon or measuring cup to break the mints into tiny pieces)
1/3 chopped dark chocolate


For the sauce
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. fat free half and half, at room temperature
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
a handful of peppermint pieces


What you do
For the crust
Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the graham crackers in a blender or food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add cocoa powder and sugar and pulse a couple more times just to combine. Put mixture in a bowl, pour melted butter and extract over the crumbs, and stir together. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 8 1/2 inch springform. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

For the filling
Leave the oven on at 350F. Melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler or in the microwave. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until combined, then beat in the extracts. Stir in the melted chocolate.

In the midst of stirring in the chocolate. Keep stirring. You want all of the filling chocolate-brown color.

When combined, stir in the peppermint pieces and the dark chocolate pieces. Pour filling into crust and bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until the edges appear set, but the middle still jiggles. DO NOT open the door to check on the cheesecake until it's been at least 30 minutes if not more because the draft from opening the oven door can cause the top to crack or the center to fall. When it's done, remove from the oven and cover with a larger bowl to provide a warm area for the cheesecake to cool in or just turn the oven off and open the door, allowing the cheesecake to cool slightly in the still warm oven. After about 20-30 minutes, remove from the open oven or take off the large bowl and allow to cool the rest of the way to room temperature. Once the pan is no longer hot, put the cheesecake in the fridge. Allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. For more of an explanation as to why cheesecake needs to cool slowly in warm environments, check out this site: http://www.baking911.com/cakes/cheesecake101.htm.

For the sauce
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler. When completely melted, stir in the half and half, sugar, and salt and heat until smooth. The salt makes it sooo delicious and not too sweet. MMMM. Chill the sauce in the fridge for about 30 minutes just so that it firms up a bit, but it still thin enough to drizzle.


When you're ready to serve the cheesecake, remove from fridge, sprinkle peppermint on top and drizzle the sauce over. Enjoy!