Peppermint and Vanilla Cream Cheesecake

Not to jump the gun on the post Thanksgiving holiday season, but I couldn’t help sharing a recipe of mine that was featured in this month’s issue of Ladies’ Home Journal! A traditional cheesecake gets a fun twist with the addition of peppermint, a luscious sour cream topping, and a chocolate graham cracker crust. I love the festive pink hue of the cheesecake; it’s perfect for a holiday spread of any kind. I’ve outlined the recipe below, and be sure to check out the full holiday feature from the magazine- the recipes are amazing! I’ve got my eye on the gingerbread caramel sauce, butterscotch bourbon apple cider, and chocolate cinnamon rolls. Naturally, everything filled with sugar!

Peppermint and Vanilla Cream Cheesecake
Work: 20 min  total: 4 hr 30 min

Crust:

• 25 chocolate graham crackers
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 3 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 cup crushed peppermint candy, plus more for garnish
• Red food coloring
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. For the crust: Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Mix the crumbs with the sugar, salt and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom and all the way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill in freezer for 15 min.

2. For the cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix to combine. Beat in the peppermint and vanilla extracts and carefully fold in the crushed peppermint candy. Stir in 2 or 3 drops red food coloring until filling is a light-pink color. Pour filling into the crust; smooth top with a spatula and refrigerate cheesecake until firm, 2 1⁄2 to 3 hr.

3. Mix together the sour cream and confectioners’ sugar and spread mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Chill one additional hour; serve with extra crushed peppermint on top. SERVES 16

Photo by Jennifer Causey