I created this for a friend’s 30th birthday, it was a huge hit.
Thin Mint Cheesecake
Makes 1 nine inch cake
Ingredients:
8T unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups Chocolate Teddy Grahams
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 pounds cream cheese at room temp.
1T vanilla extract
4 large eggs at room temp.
4T heavy cream
12oz Ghiradelli chocolate chips
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Creme De Menthe (Clear NOT green colored)
8oz sour cream
Equipment:
Oven Rack Settings: 1 rack lowest position 1 rack middle position
Stand Mixer (Hand is doable but it takes a long time and strong arms)
Large mixing bowl (at least 6 qt)
Whisk
Measuring spoons & cups
9 inch spring form pan.
Cookie pan large enough to hold spring form pan
Small baking dish filled with water
Small mixing bowl 1qt (or double boiler for chocolate)
Silicone or rubber spatula
Small paring (or other small non-serrated) knife
Food processor (or a lot of patience crushing those crackers)
Cooling rack
Offset spatula
Method:
Preheat oven to 350.
Place Chocolate Teddy Grahams 1/4c sugar into the food processor and blitz to dust. Add 6T of the butter and blitz again, about 30 seconds until you have crumbs.
Pour this mixture into the pan and press down with your knuckles so the pan is fully covered on the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides and well pressed.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until set. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
Lower oven temp to 275.
Place 1 package of cream cheese in the large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer bowl) along with about 1/4 of the remaining cup of sugar, beat until well combined, add in about of the sour cream and beat until whipped well. Make certain you scrape down the bowl from time to time while doing this.
Repeat this process until all packages of cream cheese, the sugar and the sour cream are incorporated and well whipped (whipping is important this is a light fluffy cheesecake not a dense NY one).
At this point add the Creme De Menthe to mixture, add the vanilla extract, add the salt. Slowly add the eggs a little at time while continuing to mix & scrape the bowl. Once all of this has been added whip another minute or two and then pour into the spring form pan.
Open oven, on lowest rack set the baking dish with the water. On the middle rack place the cookie sheet and set the filled spring-form pan in it. Close the oven and bake at 275 for about 1 hour 45 minutes. to 2 hours, checking carefully for done-ness The edges should be set but the center should still be wiggly (like jello) when done cooking. There may be some cracks around the edges up to 3/4 of an inch. Don’t worry these will settle beautifully.
Place cake on cooling rack, allow to cool for 30-45 minutes then go around edges with the offset spatula (or a thin knife) to loosen. Allow to continue cooling for 3 more hours.
Refrigerate to chill.
Chocolate Ganache:
Place heavy cream, chocolate chips and remaining 2T butter in a double boiler and slowly cook stirring constantly. (You can do this in a bowl in the microwave in 20 second increments).
Loosen the spring form pan but do not remove. Pour the warm chocolate over the cake, spread with offset spatula and allow to drip down sides of cheesecake. lock the spring-form pan and place in fridge to chill the ganache.
