Festive Mini Peppermint Bark Cheesecakes
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Peppermint bark is already amazing but it’s even better in these mini peppermint bark cheesecakes! With chocolate Oreo crust, creamy filling, and candy canes, these cheesecakes are super festive and easy to make for the holidays. And, since you get 12 individual servings out of this recipe, they’re so much easier to make and serve for a crowd!
Hello from Sara of the past! At time of this posting, present-day Sara is currently Pac-Manning her way through tacos and margaritas in San Jose del Cabo. Yet again, I’m living out my tropical Christmas dreams like I did two years ago in Curacao which inspired these holiday mai tais. Maybe this year’s adventure will inspire some kind of Christmas paloma!
Anyways, as much as I love getting silly on the beach, my true holiday bliss is sitting by the fire while it’s snowing outside and drinking mulled wine. So today, we’re keeping it festive with a classic. That’s right, friends – we’re talking peppermint bark.
I mean, why is white chocolate topped with candy canes so damn good? I don’t get it but I also totally do. And so inspired by the mini cheesecake recipe I originally developed when I was in pastry school, I decided to combine two of my loves.
Like mini red velvet cupcakes and mini sprinkle cookies, these cheesecakes are an elite holiday dessert. They’re just so much easier than a full cheesecake and you get 12 whole servings for sharing with friends.
I can’t stop eating these cheesecakes
No, really. I keep tip-toeing back to the fridge to sneak bite-after-bite. If there’s one Christmas dessert you need to bring to all the parties and celebrations this year, it might just be this one!
- These cakes have the perfect hint of peppermint – not too little, not too much.
- The Oreo cookie crust is chocolatey and buttery. And it goes so well with mint.
- You don’t even need a water bath. Just bake, cool, & serve.
- The minis are amazing for parties, holiday dinners, and chill get togethers.
Ingredients & tools you’ll need
To make this recipe, you will need a mini cheesecake pan. Of course, if you don’t want to buy one, it’s totally fine! You can also use a standard muffin pan with paper liners. If you use a muffin pan, you will end up with 16-18 cheesecakes since the cups are smaller.
Then, it’s time to gather the ingredients! For the crust, you’ll need Oreo Thins, unsalted butter, and Morton’s Kosher salt. The filling is made up of unsalted butter, sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and eggs.
And obviously, we can’t forget about the peppermint bark. Make sure you have good-quality white chocolate, coconut or vegetable oil, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes.
Store-bought peppermint bark
I make homemade peppermint bark for this recipe because it’s just so easy. But if you want to skip a step, store-bought will totally work too! Look for white chocolate bark or use a mix of white chocolate and dark chocolate if you like.
Make the bark
Chocolate Oreo crust
Don’t skip par-baking the crusts! You want them to firm up a bit so the filling doesn’t slip under the crust. Bake, and then let them cool completely.
Make the filling & bake
Tossing the peppermint bark with flour helps keep it from sinking in the filling. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, you can skip this step! The bark might just sink towards the crust but it’ll all taste the same.
Sinking? Cracking?
Luckily, with individual cheesecakes, you don’t have to worry about a lot of common cheesecake problems since they’re so small. But, there are ways to prevent cracking and sinking because that can happen once in a while.
- Cracking – to keep cheesecakes from cracking, don’t over-bake and cool them slowly. The cheesecakes are ready when the filling is set on the edges and a bit jiggly in the middle. Once they’re done, turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecakes cool gently for 1 hour before refrigerating.
- Sinking – to keep cheesecakes from sinking in the middle, use room temp ingredients so everything mixes evenly! You also want to mix the filling just until it’s combined. Over-mixing can add too much air which will cause the middles to sink.
Topping ideas
- Top the cheesecakes with whipped cream.
- Swirl some chocolate ganache over the cheesecakes.
- Add a square of peppermint bark on top.
- Keep them plain Jane. They’re good as-is!
Refrigerate the leftovers
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container. Refrigerate the cheesecakes for up to 3 days. After a few days, the crusts will start to soften.
More cheesecake tips
- Let the crusts cool completely before you add the filling. Otherwise, the bottoms of the cheesecakes can over-bake.
- I think this recipe has just the right amount of peppermint. But if you want a more subtle minty flavor, feel free to use 1/2 teaspoon instead.
- Let the cheesecakes chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It’s key for that light and fluffy texture!
- Personally, I think cheesecake tastes best when it’s room temp. If you do too, take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
Festive Mini Peppermint Bark Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Peppermint Bark
- 4 ounces good-quality white chocolate chips (114 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (36 grams)
Cookie Crust
- 24 Oreo Thins
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (42 grams)
- 1 pinch of Kosher salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28 grams)
- 2/3 cup sugar (132 grams)
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (454 grams)
- 2/3 cup full-fat sour cream (152 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Equipment
- Mini cheesecake pan or standard muffin tin
Instructions
Peppermint Bark
- Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper. Then, mix the white chocolate chips and coconut or vegetable oil in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 second-increments, stirring between each, just until it's melted. Mix in the peppermint extract.
- Spread the melted chocolate into an evenly-thin layer on the parchment paper. Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies over the top. Refrigerate or freeze until the bark is completely solid, 15-20 minutes. Once the bark is firm, break it into pieces. Use a sharp knife to chop the bark into super fine pieces (about the size of a mini chocolate chip).
Chocolate Oreo Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan with baking spray. Or, use a standard cupcake pan and line the cups with paper liners for easy removal. (See the Recipe Notes for more details on using a standard cupcake pan.)
- Add the Oreo Thins to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have semi-fine crumbs. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (170 grams). Add the melted butter and pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture until the Oreos are finely ground and you have a thick dough.
- Evenly divide the cookie crust into the mini cheesecake cups, about 2 Tablespoons per cup (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Using a pastry tamper, spoon, or clean fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the crusts smell toasty and chocolatey. Let the crusts cool while you prepare the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- Fill an oven-safe pan (like a cake pan) with a few inches of water. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is sandy, about 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and beat until the cream cheese is light and fluffy. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Then, add the eggs and beat just until the filling is mixed together.
- Toss 1/2 cup (90 grams) of the finely-chopped peppermint bark with the all-purpose flour. This will help keep the bark from sinking to the bottom of the cheesecakes. Then, fold the peppermint bark into the cheesecake filling, mixing just until it's well-combined.
- Using a #60 cookie scoop, evenly divide the filling between the cooled crusts. Use a butter knife to smooth the filling over the crusts.
Bake & decorate
- Place the mini cheesecake pan (or cupcake pan) on the middle rack of the oven and set the pan of water on the rack under the mini cheesecakes. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 15-16 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit jiggly like Jell-O.
- Once the cheesecakes are baked, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the mini cheesecakes cool for 30-60 minutes in the oven to keep the tops from cracking. Then, cover the pan and refrigerate the cheesecakes for about 2-3 hours or until the filling is completely set.
- Right before serving, top each chilled cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream. Decorate the cheesecakes with the remaining chopped peppermint bark, if desired. Enjoy!
