No-Bake Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe

Holiday dessert recipes are in a category of their own, brimming with options from layered cakes to endless batches of cookies. When your oven is working on overload from all of the baked goods and savory dishes, it's essential to get creative with the classics. Although many cheesecake recipes require baking time in the oven, that's not a prerequisite. Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone is well aware of the potential traffic jams your oven might face this season, so she has created a no-bake chocolate peppermint cheesecake recipe that solves the issue.

"There are two things I really love about this, the first is that it's a really perfect dessert for the upcoming holidays," Morone comments, adding, "It looks so festive and peppermint is the epitome of the Christmas season." More importantly if you're starting to feel the stress of holiday hosting, Morone notes, "this is really very easy to make because it's not a lot of ingredients and comes together quickly." Although you'll need to ensure this cheesecake chills sufficiently prior to serving, it leaves you with the flexibility to prep it ahead of time and move onto more timing-dependent preparations.

For this recipe, you'll need Oreo cookies, melted butter, cream cheese at room temperature, sweetened condensed milk, peppermint extract, semisweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, and crushed candy canes.

Add the Oreos to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs.

Add the melted butter to the food processor and pulse until combined.

Add the crumb mixture to the bottom of a springform pan and use the back of a measuring cup to press it into an even layer. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese on low speed until it is creamy and no lumps remain.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and peppermint extract to the bowl and beat until thoroughly combined.

Pour the filling over the prepared crust.

In a small bowl mix together the chocolate chips and heavy cream. Microwave in 30 second increments until melted.

Pour the melted chocolate over the filling in the pan and spread it out evenly.

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the ganache.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until set. When ready to serve run a knife between the cheesecake and the pan, then cut and serve.

You might be tempted to dig in the second you finish garnishing the top of this cheesecake, but it does require around 4 hours to properly set first. Then, Morone notes that you have a bit of flexibility before having to chill it: "Cheesecake can be out of the fridge for up to 4 hours before it needs to be refrigerated again," she says and reassures readers, "so you can still bring this to a potluck or holiday party." You might want to avoid placing it by the fireplace though! 

If you're planning ahead of time or had far too many desserts to make a solid dent in this one (doubtful), Morone instructs, "You can refrigerate this for about a week and it will still be good." In fact, if you want to reminisce on your sweet and minty Christmas cake in January she adds, "You can also freeze leftovers for up to a month."

Since there's no reaction taking place in the oven to cause the ingredients to transform, what you see is pretty much what you get — aside from the cheesecake becoming more firm as it sets in the fridge. For this reason, you'll want to be sure that the ingredients are in the appropriate state for best results. 

To start, Morone explains, "The Oreos should be crushed into fine crumbs before adding the butter, then when you press it into the pan it should form an even layer." Along with the butter, the creamy filling of the cookies helps bind the crust together. Next, she instructs, "You want to beat the cream cheese until there are no lumps left before adding the sweetened condensed milk," and emphasizes using room temperature cream cheese: "If your cream cheese is too cold you can microwave it in 10 second increments until it softens." 

As for the velvety rich chocolate topping made with heavy cream and chocolate chips, she notes, "you also want to microwave until there are no more chocolate bits and it's silky smooth before pouring it." This will prevent lumps from setting on the surface of the cake. Thankfully, the crushed candy cane garnish can cover up a few imperfections.