WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE!

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake! image

With a subtle mint flavor and darling pink color, it was love at first bite for us! Perfect for Valentine's Day, Christmas or any day when a sweet treat is called for.

Provided by Beth Colon

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

CRUST
1 box Nilla wafers
1 stick butter, melted
4 oz Ghiradelli vanilla dream white chocolate
CHEESECAKE
3 pkg cream cheese (8 oz. packages) for a total of 24 oz
1 1/2 c sugar
6 eggs
4 oz Ghiradelli vanilla dream white chocolate
16 oz sour cream
25 starlight mints

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350* Pour the box of wafers into food processor and pulse until they are finely crumbled. Pour in melted butter and combine until no more dry crumbs are left. Pour into spring form pan and press against bottom of pan and half way up the sides. Place in oven and bake crust for 10 minutes.
2. While this is cooking, melt 4 oz of the white chocolate in a double boiler on stove top. When crust comes out of the oven, pour the white chocolate on the bottom of crust and smooth out so that it covers the entire bottom (This step and the baking of the crust ensures that there will be solid bottom of the cheesecake. If you like your bottom less firm, omit this step) Place in refrigerator to harden.
3. For the cheesecake, melt remaining white chocolate in double boiler and set aside to cool slightly. Cream together all of the cream cheese (room temperature) and the 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing smooth after each addition. Add the sour cream and the cooled chocolate; mix well. Smash the starlight mints into a fine powder and fold into the cheesecake mixture.
4. Reduce oven temp to 300* Pour cheesecake mix into prepared, cooled pan. Fill within a 1/2 inch from top. Cake will rise but shouldn't overflow. Place a baking pan half filled with hot water on bottom rack of oven. Place cheesecake pan on a baking sheet (in case the spring form pan leaks) and place on the rack above the pan holding the water. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
5. After 1 1/2 hours, turn off oven and let the cheesecake sit for 4 hours. Take out of oven and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to serve, run knife around the edges of the cake to loosen and then remove the outer ring of the spring form pan. You can smooth the sides of the cheesecake with a damp butter knife if needed. Enjoy!!!