Mint Oreo Cheesecake
Mint Oreo Cheesecake is the St. Patrick’s Day treat you need!
Now I know I say all the time that baking is not my thing…but hear me out! Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts & one of the first recipes that my Arkansas born grandmother taught me. She was hands down the cheesecake queen!
This version is probably a little fancier than how she made hers but all the boxes are checked. Creamy cheesecake filling, baked moist, with the perfect balance of not too sweet & not too rich. You gotta vibe with this one!
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups mint Oreo cookies, fine crushed
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 stick butter, melted
12 mint Oreo cookies, whole
Cheesecake Filling
4 blocks cream cheese, softened
1.5 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon green food coloring
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups mint Oreo cookies, rough chopped
Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream, steaming hot
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
or 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mint Oreo cookies, chopped
Oreo Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream, ice cold
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mint Oreo cookies, fine crushed
Instructions
For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Use a food processor or blender cup to fine crush Oreo cookie crumbs
Add crushed cookie crumbs, white sugar & cornstarch to mixing bowl then stir to combine
Add melted butter to mixing bowl & stir to combine
Transfer mixture to 9” spring form pan coated with non-stick spray
Press crumb mixture into an even single layer using a flat bottom drinking glass or similar
Partially bake crust for 7 minutes at 350 degrees F to set
After 7 minutes remove crust from oven & line wall of spring form pan with whole mint Oreo cookies standing upright, then set crust aside to cool
For Cheesecake Filling:
Reduce oven to 325 degrees F
Except for chopped cookies & green food coloring, add all Cheesecake Filling ingredients to a mixing bowl
Using a hand mixer on medium speed, mix ingredients 5-7 minutes until well combined & even smooth texture
Add green food coloring & continue to mix with hand mixer until well combined & even color
Use a rubber spatula or spoon to fold in rough chopped mint Oreo cookies until well combined
Transfer filling to spring form pan with par-baked crust, making sure all whole Oreo cookies lining wall of pan are standing upright
Gently tap spring form pan on counter to remove any air bubbles from cheesecake filling
Wrap bottom of spring form pan with sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil up to the top edge of the pan
Repeat bottom wrapping 2 additional times to make sure no seals in pan are exposed
Place triple wrapped spring form pan in a deep baking pan or sheet & add hot water to baking pan/sheet to come half way up the outside of wrapped spring form pan
Carefully place water bath baking pan/sheet with cheesecake in oven & bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 325 degrees
After 1 hour 15 minutes do not remove cheesecake from oven yet
Turn oven heat off & leave oven door slightly open with baked cheesecake still inside
To help prevent cheesecake from cracking allow slightly open oven to cool for 30 minutes before removing cheesecake
After 30 minutes remove cheesecake from oven & allow to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour before carefully removing outside spring form
After removing spring form wrap cheesecake with plastic film & cool in refrigerator minimum 4 hours to overnight
For Chocolate Ganache:
Add chocolate to a glass measuring cup or mixing bowl
Heat heavy cream on stove top or in microwave until steaming but not bubbling or boiling
Slowly pour heated heavy cream over chocolate while mixing as it melts
Stir until smooth & well combined
Add small amounts of additional heated heavy cream to thin texture if needed, keeping mind the ganache will thicken up & firm as it cools
Do not add cold heavy cream, milk or water to melted chocolate to thin it out; it will ruin ganache & turn lumpy
Pour warm ganache over top of cooled, baked cheesecake & spread in an even layer
Add chopped mint Oreo Cookies all over top of ganache covered cheesecake
For Oreo Whipped Cream:
Except crushed Oreos, add Whipped Cream ingredients to a mixing bowl & mix with a hand blender on medium/high speed for 6-8 minutes until stiff peaks form
Using a rubber spatula or spoon, fold on crushed mint Oreo cookies until well combined
Add whipped cream to a piping bag or large ziploc bag with a small corner tip cut off
Pipe 8 swirls of whipped cream evenly spaced around edge of cheesecake
Place fudge covered mint Oreo cookies between each whipped cream swirl, slice & enjoy!
