These Mini Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecakes are a fun holiday twist of my Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes! Combining rich and creamy chocolate cheesecake, ganache and whipped cream with peppermint flavouring and crushed candy canes, these festive handheld treats are seriously indulgent!

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I think I’ve lost count of how many mini cheesecake recipes I’ve posted. At this point, I’m sure I’ve shared a new mini cheesecake recipe every month! But I can’t help it! They’re so, so, SO easy to make and they take a third of the time to put together as opposed to a full-sized cheesecake that requires loads more steps. 

After a simple 5 minute crust, 20 minute cheesecake, 5 minute ganache and 5 minute whipped cream — along with a minimum 2 hour chilling time, you’ll end up with a platter of these adorable desserts in no time!

4 Parts to These Cheesecakes

Ok, so I mentioned the 4 parts of these cheesecakes already, but let me break them down for you.  

1. Oreo Crust: this is a simple crushed oreo crust, but if those limited edition peppermint oreos are available near you, feel free to use those in the crust!
2. Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake: my favourite chocolate cheesecake recipe! To get the peppermint flavour, I replaced the vanilla extract with peppermint and threw in some crushed candy canes!
3. Peppermint Ganache: on top of the cheesecakes we have a simple 2-ingredient ganache with some optional peppermint extract added in. 
4. Chocolate Peppermint Whipped Cream: this light and airy whipped cream is like chocolate mousse! You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want a lot, but I love to top all of my cheesecakes with a generous amount of whipped cream (after taking photos, of course!)

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecakes

1. Make the Crust: add 12 Oreos to a food processor and pulse until you get crumbs. Combine it with melted butter, then use a small cookie scoop to divide it between the liners. 
2. Bake the Crust: flatten the crust in the liners, then bake for 5 minutes. Don’t over-bake the crust or else it’ll end up rock hard. 
3. Make the Cheesecake Filling: while the crust bakes, melt the chocolate so it has time to cool. Then prepare the simple cheesecake filling, pour in the cooled chocolate followed by the eggs. This is optional, but you can throw in ½ cup of crushed candy canes if you’d like!
4. Bake the Cheesecakes: use an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the batter. This recipe makes 12 cheesecakes, so even if there’s batter left, add it to each liner until it’s done. These don’t rise like cupcakes so they can be filled to the top. When they’re done baking, they should look dry and puffed on top. Let them cool and sink back down at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. 
5. Make the Ganache: add chocolate, heavy cream and peppermint extract to a bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals for about a minute before stirring until smooth. So simple! Spoon it onto the cheesecakes and chill it until the ganache is firm. 
6. Make the Whipped Cream: add all of the ingredients to a chilled bowl and beat with chilled beaters until stiff peaks form. This will take around 4-5 minutes. Resist piping all of it into your mouth and pipe it onto the cheesecakes instead. 
7. Decorate: to decorate these cheesecakes, sprinkle on some more crushed candy canes and top with a pretty little peppermint candy!

The combined texture of the creamy chocolate cheesecake with chunks of crushed candy cane, thick ganache and fluffy whipped cream makes these mini cheesecakes a truly fantastic holiday crowd-pleaser!

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Mini Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecakes

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

These Mini Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecakes are a fun holiday twist of my Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes! Combining rich and creamy chocolate cheesecake, ganache and whipped cream with peppermint flavouring and crushed candy canes, these festive handheld treats are seriously indulgent!

Print

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup Oreo crumbs (about 12 Oreos)
• 4 Tbsp salted butter, melted

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Filling:

• 4 oz. Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 and ½ packages (12 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
• ¼ cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature 
• ½ cup crushed peppermints or candy canes

Chocolate Peppermint Ganache:

• 1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp pure peppermint extract

Chocolate Peppermint Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• Crushed peppermints, to garnish
• Peppermints, for topping (optional)

Instructions

For the Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
2. Add Oreo crumbs and melted butter to a mixing bowl and mix together using a fork. Place 1 tablespoon of crumbs into each liner and flatten using the back of the tablespoon or a small glass. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 325°F.

For the Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake:

1. Put chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sour cream, heavy cream and peppermint extract and continue beating until smooth. Add melted chocolate and mix on low speed to combine.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly until just combined, do not overbeat. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is fully combined. Fold in crushed candy canes.
5. Fill each liner with ¼ cup of batter. If there’s more batter left, spoon some into each liner until it’s done. Liners can be filled to the top.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the tops are puffed and look dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm and chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

For the Chocolate Peppermint Ganache:

1. Put the chocolate chips, cream and peppermint extract into a medium heat safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, for about 1 minute total.
2. Slowly stir until combined and smooth.
3. Spoon ganache over cheesecakes and return them to the refrigerator to set while you prepare the whipped cream.

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the chilled cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and peppermint extract until it reaches stiff peaks, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a swirl onto each cheesecake. Garnish with crushed candy canes and a peppermint candy. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Storage: store cheesecakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
2. Make Ahead: Peppermints will begin to “bleed” into the cheesecakes after a while so if you make these ahead of time, don’t garnish with the peppermint or candy canes until the day you plan on serving.
3. Double Recipe/Full-Sized Cheesecake: making these for a crowd? You can adapt my Chocolate Lovers Cheesecake recipe (replace vanilla with peppermint and fold crushed candy canes into cheesecake batter) to either make a full-sized cheesecake or 24 mini cheesecakes.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Ateco Plastic Coated Decorating Bag, 18-Inch
• 
  Wilton 402-2110 1M Open Star Piping Tip
• 
  Standard Size White Cupcake Paper/Baking Cup/Cup Liners, Pack of 500
• 
  KitchenAid KHM512IC 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Ice Blue
• 
  Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (2, STANDARD)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 448Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g

BON APPÉTIT!

Love, Dedra

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