Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I was thinking of something to make for Saint Patrick's Day and the first thing I thought of was something minty. So naturally my next thought was chocolate and cheesecake. There are various recipes out there for this but I just did my basic recipe and added green coloring and mint extract. My boys thought I had made a dessert using the mint chocolate chip ice cream and they were temporarily very happy. I was happy that they thought it looked like mint chocolate chip ice cream as that was my goal. They weren't very happy in the end because they don't care for cheesecake. Maybe that's why I make it so often...more for me!

Check here for more fun Saint Patty's Day dinner and treat ideas!

                                             Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by: Jen

Ingredients:
already made chocolate crust

2 packages (8-oz each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp mint extract

few drops green food coloring

1 c chocolate chips

for the ganache

1/2 c cream

1 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together the softened cream cheese and the sugar. Your cheesecake will cook better if the cream cheese is completely softened. Beat until it is smooth. Add the eggs and mix them in well.

Add food coloring and mint extract. (make sure it is mint and not peppermint. Of course you could do the same thing at Christmas with peppermint extract and pink food coloring) Blend in well until it is all green.

Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into already made chocolate crust.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until the center is slightly jiggly. If you miss that point, then take it out when you see it start to get a little golden on the edges. Don't worry if it cracks. We are going to cover it with chocolate ganache anyway.

Completely cool the cheesecake on a wire rack. This may take an hour or so. Meanwhile make your ganache.

For the Chocolate ganache, add the cream to a small pan and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally because you don't want the milk to stick or burn on the bottom. When it reaches a simmer, remove from heat and add the chocolate chips.

Stir in the chocolate chips until it is completely smooth. If desired, you could add a tablespoon of butter to help have that glossy look, but it isn't necessary.

Let it cool a little bit and spread over the cheesecake evenly to the edges. Put cheesecake in refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours. You may not use all of the ganache. Put the rest in a container and store in the fridge for later. This is the best base for the best ever hot cocoa.

I personally think that cheesecake is best served the following day. I like it more firm. My husband disagrees. He likes to eat it the same day it's baked. If you serve it within a couple hours of it being baked it has a more mousse like consistency.

Brownie bottom mint chocolate chip cheesecake

For another variation use a brownie mix as the bottom layer. Check out the Brownie bottom cheesecake recipe for directions. Use 3 pkgs cream cheese, 2/3 c sugar, and 3 eggs, but keep everything else the same. After the brownie is baked, then bake the cheesecake for about an hour or until slightly jiggly in the middle. When cooled then either cover the entire thing in ganache, or just the top. I would have done it this way, but alas I only had 2 eggs in my refrigerator so I did the faster version.

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Ideas for Saint Patrick's Day Food

  I know some people prefer more traditional foods like corned beef and Irish soda bread for Saint Patrick's Day, but I grew up in a family where everything got dyed green--the mashed potatoes, the rolls, the gravy...literally anything that could be greenified was transformed into a bright Saint Patty's Day shade of green .  As I was reminiscing about it today, I can still picture all 8 of us kids gathered around our Saint Patrick's Day feast with our teased up 80's bangs and oversized glasses.  So, in honor of fun memories from my youth, today's post is dedicated to some fun meals that would be great for Saint Patrick's day, either because the food is already naturally green or because they are light colored and could be easily dyed.   Look at the bottom of the post for some more fun ideas for celebrating Saint Patrick's Day!  Have fun and the luck o' the Irish to ye! 


Honey-Lime Enchiladas--with the green enchilada sauce (made with tomatillos) on top these have some great visual appeal for Saint Patty's day.  In addition,  my kids love them. 



Potato Kielbasa Skillet--one of our family favorite meals and naturally flecked with lots of  wholesome spinach! 

Turkey Lettuce Wraps--naturally green, these are super easy to make and you most likely have all the ingredients already in the house

Potato Soup  (dyed with green food coloring) and  Bread Bowls--this was our Saint Patty's Day dinner last year!  :)


Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce-- the cilantro gives the filling some green and the roasted tomatillo sauce on top is naturally green as well



Spinach-Zucchini Soup--this healthy soup is totally green of its own accord (no food dyes, gluten, or dairy) .  It's perfect for a Saint Patty's day lunch or dinner.  I like to whip up a batch of this tasty soup early in the week and eat it for lunch all week!

Dairy-Free Pasta Alfredo (made with cashews)--it's light colored, so the sauce could easily be dyed green


BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro-Ranch Dressing --a healthy, naturally green meal! 

Chicken Crescents (with green food coloring in the filling and/or bread)--my kids love these


Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach-- another one with lots of wholesome, dye-free green

Split Pea Soup--another naturally green healthy soup, this could be bedecked with sour cream clovers instead of a monster face

And here are some other ideas for making Saint Patrick's Day fun for the whole family: 

• Put a couple drops of green food coloring in the milk carton before the kids wake up and tell them that the leprechauns must have done it. 

• Put a couple drops of green dye in the toilet and when the first kid comes out exclaiming that the water is green, blame it on the leprechaun who forgot to flush.  (Don't worry the food coloring does not stain the toilet bowl). 

• Make your favorite pancake recipe (like this or  this or this) and swirl in some green food coloring.  Top it with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup dyed green for a real leprechaun's breakfast. 

• Find some chocolate gold coins (or another fun treat) and send the kids on a treasure hunt searching for the leprechaun's treasure. 

• Find a good dessert recipe and dye it green.  These would be perfect:

• Chocolate Peppermint Cake Roll (filling dyed green)

• BYU Mint Brownies
  
  

• Celestial Bars (the white portion dyed green)

• Any cupcake dyed green (these recipes are good: Coconut or Greek Yogurt , but even a cake mix would work great! )

• Homemade Oreos (filling dyed green)--a super easy and fun treat that starts with chocolate cake mix as a base

What about your family?  Do you have any fun Saint Patty's Day traditions or recipes?  Please share! 


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