Dutch Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Recipes

MINT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cooled chips, creme de menthe, flour, creme de cacao and extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour half the batter over crust; sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Carefully spoon remaining batter over top. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 75-80 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. , Remove rim from pan. Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread over cheesecake.

MINT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square metal baking pan with nonstick spray and line with foil.
• Pulse the cookies in a food processor with the butter, sugar, and salt to make a fine crust. Evenly press the crust into the prepared pan taking care to cover the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
• Blend the cream cheese, 2/3 cup of the sugar, and 1/2 cup of the sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and melted chocolate then pulse until just incorporated and smooth. Pour the filling evenly over the crust and bake until the filling puffs slightly around the edges and just set in the center, about 20 minutes.
• Mix the remaining cup of sour cream and 2/3 cup sugar with the creme de menthe and food coloring, if using. Carefully, spoon the mixture over the top of the chocolate and gently spread into an even layer. Bake until topping becomes glossy but is still a bit loose, about 15 minutes more. (The topping will set when cooled.) Cool on a rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Lift cheesecake out of the pan, cut into 2-inch squares, and top with chocolate curls.

DUTCH CHOCOLATE-MINT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Finely grind cookies, chocolate and sugar in processor. Add butter; blend until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides.
• For filling:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Add eggs 1 at time, beating just until incorporated. Add melted chocolate, cream, cocoa powder and extracts and beat just until smooth.
• Pour filling into crust. Bake until center is just set, about 1 hour. Transfer to rack and cool 20 minutes. Press down gently on puffed edges to flatten. Run small sharp knife around top edge of pan to loosen. Do not remove pan sides. Cool. Cover and chill overnight.
• For toppings:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sour cream and sugar in bowl. Spoon sour cream topping over cheesecake. Bake 20 minutes. Chill cheesecake until cold, at least 6 hours.
• Bring cream and butter to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Freeze until firm enough to pipe, whisking occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove pan sides from cake. Spoon chocolate topping into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Pipe 6 diagonal lines atop cake, spacing evenly. Repeat in opposite direction, forming lattice. Pipe 12 rosettes of chocolate around top edge of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.) Garnish with mint leaves.