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I’ve been holding off jumping on the “holiday-desserts-made-with-peppermint” bandwagon… And I have no idea why I waited so long now that I’ve made these delicious No-Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecakes!
Do you remember our No-Bake Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe from a few months ago? Well, that little recipe of ours became so popular over on Pinterest – as of this moment – it has been pinned over 210,000 times! It’s a fantastic – and easy – recipe and it’s also one of those recipes that you can easily adapt to the flavors of the season or your own favorite flavors with just a little bit of culinary creativity!
For this Christmas season – when many people seem to enjoy peppermint desserts – we modified the recipe as follows: The bottom crust is a combination of crumbled chocolate cookie wafers and chocolate mints, plus a little melted butter to hold the crust together.
Then – we used a combination of white chocolate pudding, cream cheese, cheesecake pudding, frozen whipped topping and a touch of peppermint extract to create a mousse-like cheesecake dessert that is creamy, light and delicious with a mild hint of peppermint flavor!
We used a large pastry bag with a star tip to pipe these no-bake white chocolate peppermint cheesecakes into each serving dish (I think the piping makes this dessert look so pretty!). And, you can get creative with the garnish for this wonderful dessert as well! We crushed up some extra chocolate cookies and candy canes and sprinkled the crumbs over the top of each cup. Finish with a candy cane stick and a chocolate mint – and you’ve got a wonderfully festive dessert!
Special Note
Since originally posting this recipe, Nabisco has sadly discontinued selling their Famous Chocolate Wafers. (We hope they will bring them back!)
In the meantime, a good alternative is Dewey’s Bakery Brownie Crisp Cookie Thins. You can find these at some local supermarkets, or buy them online here.
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
No-Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1/2 package Chocolate Wafers (about 20 cookies)
- 10 After Eight chocolate mints
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
For the filling
- 1 1-ounce package sugar-free white chocolate instant pudding mix (or a 3-ounce package of the regular pudding mix)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 8–ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 1-ounce package sugar-free cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix (or a 3-ounce package of the regular pudding mix)
- 1/2 teaspoon real peppermint extract (do not use mint extract which is typically a combination of peppermint and spearmint)
- 1 12–ounce container frozen whipped topping, plus extra for garnish, if desired
- 1–2 drops of red food coloring (optional)
- Candy cane sticks, After Eight chocolate mints, and additional crushed chocolate wafers and crushed candy canes for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place the chocolate wafers and chocolate mints in the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse again until combined.
- Spoon the crumbs into individual 9-ounce plastic cups (or other individual sized cups for serving). Place in the refrigerator to set while you are preparing the filling.
- Prepare the white chocolate pudding with the milk according to package instructions. (Note: Do NOT prepare the cheesecake pudding mix – that will be added as a dry stabilizer later in the recipe.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until light and creamy.
- Add the prepared white chocolate pudding, the dry cheesecake pudding mix and the peppermint extract and beat until completely mixed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are well combined.
- Change your stand mixture attachment to the wire whisk. On slow speed, fold in the tub of frozen whipped topping and until well combined. If you’d like to tint your cheesecakes a light pink “peppermint” color, add 1 drop of red food coloring – you can leave the color swirled or mix completely for a light pink color. If desired, add a second drop of red food coloring if you want a darker pink color and mix again.
- Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.
- Using a large pastry bag with a large tip, or a spoon, top the chocolate mint crumb crust in each cup with the cheesecake mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Garnish with additional whipped topping, a candy cane stick, a chocolate mint and crushed chocolate wafers and candy canes, if desired.
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Notes
Please be sure to use real peppermint extract in this recipe for the best results. Be careful NOT to buy mint extract which is usually a combination of peppermint and spearmint. The spearmint flavoring will be too strong for this dessert.
You may also like:
No-Bake Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Chocolate Peppermint Milkshakes
Just wanted to let you know that your recipe was a hit at our Womens Christmas Social. If someone is making for a large group I made 4 batches and it filled 70 (5 oz..) tumblers. Also I used the Oreo peppermint bark cookies. So easy. Thank you for the keeper recipe!
Wow Vicki – Thank you! (70 servings is impressive!) So glad the recipe was a hit!
I am making this for a Christmas Social for 65 women using shorter glasses. How many recipes do you think I need to make? Thanks
Hi Vicki – I’m not sure of the ounces in your shorter glasses (are they short and wide or more like mini shot glasses)? Our recipe as written made 10-12 servings filling a 9-ounce cup to the brim. So if you are using something closer to a 4 ounce cup – I’d say 3 (or 4 to be safe) recipes should give you enough depending on how full you fill the glasses. Hope that helps!
For the No-Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake, where did you find the beautifully shaped glass that you show ? Or do you have another suggestion for the type of glass to serve these in?
Hi Patti! Those are actually little glass votive candle holders that I bought years ago at Pier 1. Amazon sells something very similar here: https://amzn.to/2SOx1Qo
Hope that helps!
I have a soft spot for chocolate too Vicky! 🙂
Made this for our office Christmas party today… such a hit!!!! Thank you for the recipe. Had to improvise a little, couldn’t find any After 8 mints, but Andes has come out with a Peppermint Mint Chocolate – YUM! Such a great recipe!!!
Thank you Kristin! (Andes are a great alternative if you can’t find the After 8’s). Merry Christmas!
How many days prior can I make these before serving?
Hi Mary Ellen – I think the day before you serve would be the most ahead I’d suggest.
I don’t have one of those big mixers…does that matter? I can’t wait to make this!
Hi Kendrah – No – a handmixer will work just as well! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Shoot. Can’t find white chocolate pudding mix anywhere! Will use cheesecake and see what happens…
The cheesecake flavor is a good alternative SaraBeth!
If using the 3 oz regular pudding mix instead of the 1 oz sugar-free mix, do you still use the whole 3 oz?
Thanks!
Hi Anna – I’d suggest cutting the pudding mix back to about 1/3 of the package so the mousse isn’t too thick.
Could I use real whipped cream instead of whipped topping?
Yes – you can. Real whipped cream is softer than whipped topping and it will break down over time so you might want to consider adding a stabilizer to keep it thick and creamy. Here’s a recipe that might help: http://www.somethingswanky.com/homemade-cool-whip/