Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars
Planning a holiday party? These Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars are such a festive offering! Creamy chocolate cheesecake is nestled in a crunchy cookie crust, and spiked with cool peppermint. So perfect for this time of year!
This is a sponsored post, written by me, and created in partnership with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.
When the temperatures really start to plunge and the weather gets blustery and cold, there's nothing I love more than to warm up with a mug of hot cocoa. Even better if it's spiked with a bit of cool peppermint! I just love the combination of rich chocolate and bracing mint. It puts me right in the holiday spirit!
And when it comes to desserts, you really can't do much better than cheesecake. Am I right? It's so rich and creamy and satisfying.
I've been tinkering around with my cheesecake recipe for months now. At this point, I really think I have the formula perfected. It yields such a creamy result. It's dense and rich, but, at the same time, melt-on-your-tongue light. I always use Philadelphia Cream Cheese-it's made with real milk and cream, has no added preservatives, and the quality just shines through.
When you infuse it with deep, rich cocoa and melted bittersweet chocolate, you end up with the most incredible dessert. And that hit of cool mint! You just want to keep going back for another bite.
Be sure to put this recipe on your holiday menu this year! Your guests will adore it. Rich, creamy chocolate cheesecake bars, with a hint of festive peppermint and a crunchy cookie base-these are just perfect for a party!
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Thanks to Philadelphia Cream Cheese for allowing me to partner with them to come up with some fun and delicious recipes! I had a blast. Do you have any favorite holiday recipes using Philadelphia Cream Cheese? I'd love to hear your favorites in comments below. For additional inspiration, click here.
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Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter,, melted
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, (3 bricks)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup (119 ml) heavy cream
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) bittersweet chocolate,, melted
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Starlight mints, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Generously mist a 9-inch square baking pan (3 inches high) with nonstick spray, and line with a sheet of parchment paper, allowing the excess paper to drape over the sides of the pan.
- Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in the bowl of a food processor, and chop finely.
- Stir in the melted butter, and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Place the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Add the Philadelphia Cream Cheese, mixing on medium-low speed until combined.
- Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- Stir in the cream, melted chocolate, and peppermint extract, and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Rap the unbaked cheesecake sharply on the counter a few times to eliminate any large air bubbles.
- Place it in a larger baking dish, and pour very hot water into the larger dish until it comes up about 1 inch around the cheesecake pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F, then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and bake for another 65 minutes, or until set around the edges but still slightly jiggly toward the center.
- Turn off the oven, and prop the door ajar with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to cool slowly in the oven for at least an hour. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight before removing from the pan and cutting into bars.
- Garnish cheesecake bars with starlight mints just before serving.
Allie, I just cant even! These cheesecake are peppermint perfection! They look so gorgeous! Pinned.
You are KILLING me here, Allie! What a gorgeous cheesecake (and love that they are bars--so much easier to cut and serve 😉
Hooray! I'm so happy you like these Amy! The bars are easy, aren't they? And I like that you can cut them into small portions too, that way they're really great for entertaining 🙂
Peppermint and chocolate are always a good combination, especially in lush looking cheesecake bar!
Yes! I love that combination of flavors, especially at this time of year. Thanks Naomi!
Cheesecake? Win. Peppermint and chocolate? DOUBLE WIN. These bars are perfect for Christmas..if I can wait that long to eat them! Pinned!
Thanks so much Taylor, and for the pin too!
Chocolate and peppermint are a favorite holiday flavors of mine! Looks creamy and delicious!
Same here Laura! I just can't get enough of those flavors, especially at this time of year. Thank you so much sweetie!
These cheesecake bars are perfect, Allie - so creamy and rich! The chocolate and peppermint combo is one of my favorites and so perfect for the holidays! 🙂
Thank you so much Kelly! I just love those flavors at this time of year. Hope you're enjoying the season!
Oh Allie this is just beautiful! I love me chocolate and peppermint any day!
Girl so do I! It is by far my favorite 😉 Thank you so much Zainab! xo
These bars look so rich and creamy, and I love that you made cheesecake bars with the chocolate peppermint combination! These are just perfect. 🙂
Thank you so much Marcie! It's by far my favorite flavor combo at this time of year. I'm so happy you like them! xo
I love a chocolate and mint combo! And these cheesecake bars look so decadent and creamy!!
Girl they are soooo creamy and irresistible! I could not stop! Thank you so much Malinda!
Geez I love cheesecake flavor. The first time I even got a hint of that flavor was when I was a kid about 10----the world was flat then, believe me---Mom made a package
of 'fake' cheesecake from a Jello product as I recall. These look so creamy. I could swoon. But I really don't want to do that. It's hard to get up again unless there
is a table near by.
Haha! I love how food can bring back memories like that. Back in the day it was nothing but boxed mixes, right? It's like a whole new world has opened up, lol! Thanks so much for the awesome comment, Carol! xo
These look so unbelievably yummy! I love chocolate and peppermint together, especially in the form of cheesecake! Totally making these!
Woot! That's awesome Roxana! I love it too, it's definitely a top favorite for me. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! xo
These look delicious- love how thick the slices are! Yum 🙂
Thank you Medha! Yes I like a high filling to crust ratio for this recipe 😉
These are absolutely perfect Allie! They are perfect for the holidays.
Thanks Nicole! Chocolate + peppermint is definitely a top favorite for me at this time of year 🙂
I want these at my holiday party!!! LOVE these, Allie!
Thank you Alice! Maybe you can pop a few in your purse for the next time you get hungry at a cocktail party, lol! 😉 😉
I needed the perfect dessert for a holiday party this weekend Allie! BINGO! These look delicious!
Awesome!! I hope you enjoy these Mary Ann! I thought they were pretty simple to make and flavor-wise, one of my top favorites this season. Thanks dear!
Um, these cheesecake bars are pure perfection!! That peppermint and chocolate combo gets me EVERY time and I've gotta try these beauties!
Girl it totally gets me too! I love chocolate and peppermint so much, really I want to eat it year round but I limit myself lol! So glad you like Sarah- thanks so much for the awesome feedback!