I’m a big fan of mini foods – finger foods, whatever you want to call them. From mini calzones to mini pumpkin rolls, I just love little mini things. This mint cheesecake recipe combines a number of my favorite things – Oreos, cheesecake, and mint flavoring – into one delicious bite-sized treat! I love using mint flavoring with its natural green color for St. Patrick’s Day desserts, but you could also use these for Christmas or really any time you need a dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Oreo crust – the Oreo crust on these combines so well with the creamy mint cheesecake. It gives the cheesecake the perfect crunchy crust! Multi layers of flavor – Each bite of this mint chocolate cheesecake is full of layers of delicious flavor – Oreo, mint cheesecake, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream on top. Easy – while there are a handful of steps in this recipe, they’re all very easy to do!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Mint extract – make sure that you’re using mint extract and not peppermint (keep the peppermint for this peppermint edible cookie dough). Food coloring – I recommend using gel food coloring to give you a nice rich flavorOreo crumbs – you can either buy boxed Oreo crumbs or you can just take the cookies from Oreos and crush them in a food processor to get the crumbs. Butter – you want to use salted butter for this recipe unlike many baking recipes that use unsalted. Cream cheese – use full-fat cream cheese that’s nice and soft so that you don’t end up with lump cheesecake. Andes Mints – you’ll need a bunch of this recipe but if you have any leftovers, this mint chocolate dip is a great way to use them up!
How to make mint chocolate cheesecake
These mini cheesecakes are super easy to make (just like this other mini cheesecake recipe)! You’re going to make the crust and the filling – let that chill – then top with chocolate and whipped cream.
1 – Make the Oreo Crust
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 12 tin muffin pan with paper liners and spray with non-stick spray. To make the crust, start by making sure you just have Oreo cookie crumbs. If they’re not already crumbs, remove the filling from Oreo cookies and pulse the cookies in a food processor until they’re crumbs. Then once you have the crumbs, mix the Oreo crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Add about two tablespoons of the cookie crumb mixture to each muffin liner and press down to make the crust for each mini cheesecake.
2 – Make the Cheesecake Filling
Next, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Now mix in the egg, mint extract, and green food coloring on low speed. Then finish it off by stirring in the chopped Andes Mints with a rubber spatula until they’re fully mixed in.
3 – Bake the Cheesecake
Scoop the cheesecake mixture on top of the Oreo crusts until each muffin tin is about 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. After they have baked for 20 minutes, leave the pan in the oven but turn the oven off and prop the door open to allow the cheesecakes to cool for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and place the cheesecakes, still in the pan, in the refrigerator to chill for at least six hours. Remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin and then remove the liners.
4 – Finish the Cheesecake
You’re going to finish the mint chocolate cheesecake by topping it with a chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and Andes Mints. To make the ganache topping, heat the heavy cream in a microwave on high for 40 seconds then immediately add the chocolate chips and cover. Allow the heated cream and chocolate chips to sit for 3-5 minutes then stir the mixture until all the chocolate is melted and it is smooth. Top each cheesecake with about one tablespoon of the chocolate ganache then allow to cool for about five minutes. While the cheesecake is chilling, make fresh whipped cream by combining one cup of heavy cream with two tablespoons of sugar. I recommend doing it with a chilled beater in a chilled bowl but it should work either way. Finish your cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream on top of each cheesecake and garnish with chopped Andes mints and Oreo crumbs. Enjoy immediately or chill and enjoy chilled.
Expert Tips
Mint extract can be adjusted to your preferred taste. Test it as written first, then add more mint 1/4 tsp at a time until you achieve the mint taste you prefer. Use fresh whipped cream for the best taste but Cool Whip can be used if you can’t make the fresh whipped cream. Store these mini cheesecakes in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. I recommend storing them without the whipped cream on top if you know you’re not going to serve until later.
More Easy Desserts
If you like these mini mint chocolate cheesecakes, you’ll love these other desserts!
Green velvet cupcakes – these moist cupcakes are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, especially with gold glitter inside! Rainbow donuts – colorful donuts topped with rainbow sprinkles make a great St. Patrick’s Day treat!Chocolate chip cookie pie – chocolate chip cookie dough baked into a pie crust, absolutely delicious! St. Patrick’s Day marshmallow pops – these really cute St. Patrick’s Day treats are fun to make and so good!Lucky Charms cookies – delicious sprinkle cookies with a marshmallow baked right into the middle!
