Creamy sweet cheesecake with the perfect balance of mint and chocolate hugged by crisp and buttery chocolate graham cracker crust. Mint chocolate chip cheesecake is a great shareable dessert and perfect for making ahead!
Today the dessert game is getting switched up! It's cheesecake time friends. (Yaaaaasss!) But we're giving it a mint chocolate makeover and you're going to love it!
It's sweet and refreshing and of course, there's chocolate but there's a whole lot of reasons this cheesecake is your next dinner party or special occasion bake:
- buttery crunchy chocolate crust
- light and fluffy cheesecake base
- refreshing mint but not too strong
- mini chocolate chips in each bite
- gooey, melty chocolate ganache
It's gonna be raaaaad.
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Tips for the perfect cheesecake
Cheesecake can be a fickle thing. Making sure it’s cooked through without overcooking. Not getting any cracks in the top. And then there’s that whole springform pan thing. Its a pan, no it’s a plate, no it has a weird ring around it. How do you keep the water out??
Here are my favorite tips:
Water bath, water bath, water bath – while there are a few different opinions on whether the cheesecake needs to physically be in the bath or just over it on the rack above. My tip:bake it in the bath.
My favorite water bath pan is a 3.5 quart braising pan from Cuisinart. Something like this pan
is the closest I could find as a similar product on Amazon. A larger cake pan, foil pan or anything that is oven safe and ok to cook with water (not cast iron or enameled) will work too.
Wrapping the pan. A little restaurant trick here. After the crust is done cooking, let it cool just a smidge. Lay two pieces of plastic wrap perpendicular to each other – like an even shape ‘t’. Wrap the bottom of the still warm pan, because the pan is still fairly hot (be careful or use a kitchen towel to help!) the plastic will mold around the bottom without melting, creating a waterproof seal. Then wrap with aluminum foil.
This is my favorite way to wrap the springform pan, especially with this gluten-free cheesecake to keep the crust nice and crispy.
If this option weirds you out, you can wrap with foil then use slow cooker liners
or use extra wide foil so there is no seam.
Bake it, rest it, and heaven help anyone who opens the oven. Achieving that dense yet creamy texture is a tall order. You need the cheesecake to cook through without overcooking. The solution to this problem is to cook it, turn off the oven, then let it rest in the steamy oven. The cake will continue to set as the oven cools off while maintaining this steamy, humid environment from the water bath.
Refrigerate overnight. Four hours will get the job done, but overnight is ideal.
creamy chocolate ganache
The icing on the cake? I mean, who doesn't want a smidge of more chocolate? This melty, gooey, chocolate ganache is the perfect topping to match the fluffy cheesecake layered underneath.
The key to this ganache is to let it cool to the thickness you desire since it's a 1:1 ratio of cream to chocolate. After 10 minutes it will still be pretty runny. This is a great option if you're making the ganache just before serving and want people to drizzle their own.
The best results are after at least 20 minutes so it doesn't cascade off the sides of the cheesecake. For a nice thick, frosting-like ganache 40 minutes is best - and what you see in the pictures.
If you're loving this cheesecake and want more options for new flavors on cheesecake classics, check out this gingerbread cheesecake that's perfect for the holidays! If you need a gluten-free option, this crust is my absolute favorite.
Did you make this recipe? Let us know in the comments and leave a rating! Don't forget to share photos of your awesome eats on Pinterest and Instagram!
Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 packages chocolate graham crackers
- 1 ¾ stick unsalted butter
For the filling:
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons mint extract
- 4 to 5 drops green food dye
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the ganache:
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Position an oven rack into the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Optional: Lightly rub the inside of 9-inch springform pan with cold butter. Cut out a piece of parchment paper the same size as the pan bottom and place inside the pan.
- Prepare the crust. Grind the graham cracker crumbs in the food processor working in 2 to 3 batches, transferring the crumbs to a medium bowl once crushed. Alternatively, you can crush the graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and with a fork stir the graham cracker crumbs while slowly pouring the melted butter over the crumbs.
- Once all the crumbs are 'wet' with butter, transfer to the springform pan into an even layer. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, water glass, or with your hands, press the crumbs into the pan starting in the center and working towards the edges. Push to crumbs up the sides as you go.
- Bake the crust for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. While the pan is still warm, wrap the outside of the pan with plastic wrap. Place two pieces of plastic wrap in opposite directions making a 't' with the warm pan still in the center and carefully bring plastic wrap up the sides so it seals to the outside. Alternatively, you can skip this step and use extra wide aluminum foil or a crock pot bag to wrap the pan for the water bath. Cool the crust completely before filling with cheesecake batter.
- Prepare the filling. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the sugar into the cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- On low speed, mix in the vanilla, mint extract, corn starch. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the green food dye. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the ingredients are well incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl when needed.
- Mix in the mini chocolate chips on low speed and pour the batter to the prepared crust. Transfer the pan to a water bath in a roasting pan or bakinbg dish large and deep enough to hold it. Pour very hot water into the roasting pan so that it covers 1-inch of the sides of the pan or just below where you wrapped with pan.
- Bake in 350°F oven for 1 hour 15 minutes - do not open the oven door during baking. The cheesecake will be done when the outer edges are firm and the center jiggles just slightly. After baking, turn off the heat, crack the oven with a kitchen towel or wooden spatula and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour in the oven.
- Remove the foil and wrap from the outside of the pan. Run the dull side of a knife around the outside of the crust to release it from the pan. Transfer the whole pan to the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- For the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to just a simmer. Pour over the mini chocolate chips in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes then whisk until smooth. Let cool 20 to 40 minutes depending on the thickness you want, at 20 minutes the ganache will still be thin and pour easily and at 40 minutes the ganache will be thick and spreadable.
Silvia says
Hey! I wasn't sure but I don't see where in the recipe you put the mini chocolate chips into the cream cheese mix. I assume at the end of course. So this might just be a stupid message but thanks for the recipe anyways.
Lauren says
Thank you for catching that Silvia! Yes, at the end after adding the food coloring.
Jim says
What size spring form pan did you use?
Lauren says
I used a 9-inch springform pan.