Recipe from SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE: Peppermint Cheesecake

Thank you so much for following me on Instagram! Here is the Peppermint Cheesecake recipe I promised you. Be sure to print or save it as it will disappear after the holidays. It is a feature recipe in my new book So Much to Celebrate. If you like this recipe, you're going to love the book! Preorder it here! Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake, serving approximately 12

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (pulsed in the bowl of a food processor)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup crushed hard peppermint candy

3 drops of red food coloring

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

Whipped cream for garnish

Whole and crushed hard peppermint for garnish

Hot chocolate sauce for garnish

Instructions

For the crust, combine chocolate cookie crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well until it resembles wet sand. Press in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan. Freeze until set (about 30 minutes).

For the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whish attachment, beat the cream cheese on a high speed until fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup crushed peppermint candy and food coloring (one drop at a time until mixing after each to achieve desired color) and mix well. Remove bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 2 cups whipped cream until just combined. Pour into the chilled crust. Freeze, covered, until set (at least 24 hours).

Before serving, allow cheesecake to sit at room temperature about 10 minutes to make easier to slice. Unlatch spring-form pan and slice. Drizzle each slice with hot chocolate sauce and garnish with whipped cream and peppermint candy.

Make it ahead: Make up to three months in advance and store in an airtight container in freezer.