Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Desserts

After making some delicious dessert bars, I was determined to turn the recipe into a chocolate peppermint cheesecake. This festive dessert is the result and one of my favorites to serve for the holidays. Whether I share it with family or give it as a gift, it always receives rave reviews.

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TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 1 hour 20 min. + chilling
YIELD: 16 servings.

2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white baking chips
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup peppermint crunch baking chips
GANACHE:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Optional: whipped cream and peppermint crunch baking chips or peppermint striped white chocolate kisses

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth and cool slightly. Repeat with white baking chips.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream, flour and extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Remove 2 cups batter to a small bowl; stir in cooled chocolate chips until blended. Pour over crust. Stir peppermint chips and cooled white chips into remaining batter; gently spoon over chocolate layer. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
3. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 75-85 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.
4. Remove rim from pan. For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Let stand 3 minutes. Spread over cheesecake. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and additional peppermint crunch baking chips or kisses.