Nothing cheesy about it...

Sometimes you just need a slice of cheesecake, you know? I grew up in a cheesecake-friendly house. My mom makes one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever tasted. The irony of it all? She is the only family member who can’t stand the creamy dessert!

Luckily for me, Todd loves cheesecake. His love for cheesecake significantly lowers the risk of me consuming an entire springform pan’s worth of cheesecake and crust. (Significantly lowers, not entirely diminishes, mind you.) So, of course, Todd’s favorite flavor combination being mint and chocolate (okay, okay, so I don't mind them either), I had to incorporate those flavors into the cheesecake.

The resulting sweet treat has a mint chip and chocolate chip blondie crust, topped with a white chocolate cheesecake with both mint and chocolate swirls swimming throughout. It’s delicious! In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s ripening with age. I tasted a slice again one day ago, and I swear, it was more heavenly than the first slice the day before! If you’re a cheesecake fan, if you’re a mint or chocolate person, this creamy concoction is for you.

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mint and Chocolate Swirl

The Crust
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 tsp mint extract
¼ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup AP flour
½ cup mint chips
½ cup chocolate chips

Method:
(1) Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease springform pan.
(2) Whisk butter and sugar together. Add egg and mint extract. Add dry ingredients. Lastly, stir in the chips.
(3) Press mixture into the springform pan. You’ll need to use your fingers for this, as you have to press the dough quite thin.
(4) Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough looks golden brown. (Don’t worry about the dough looking fully baked.)

The Cheesecake
3 8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup white sugar
¼ cup AP flour
3 eggs
½ cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp mint extract
½ cup white chocolate chips
¼ cup mint chips
¼ cup chocolate chips

Method:
(1) Turn oven temperature down to 300. Prepare water bath for the springform pan.
(2) Beat cream cheese until fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes. Beat in sugar, mixing until light. Beat in flour until just incorporated.
(3) Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg. Add the cream and mint extract.
(4) Melt the chocolates in separate bowls. Pour white chocolate into the cheesecake batter and mix the chocolate in.
(5) Take ¼ cup of the cheesecake mixture and mix it with the melted mint chips. Take another ¼ cup of the cheesecake mixture and mix it with the melted chocolate chips.
(6) Pour the white chocolate cheesecake batter into the prepared springform pan. Drop the mint cheesecake and chocolate cheesecake mixtures by spoonfuls over the poured batter. With a toothpick, swirl the spoonfuls throughout the cheesecake batter.
(7) Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cheesecake is wobbly only in the center (approximately 3-in diameter should be wobbly). Allow cheesecake to cool to room temperature. Then, place in refrigerate until cool. (If you have 24 hours to let the cheesecake sit, it tastes much better after it’s completely cool.)

*I topped my cheesecake with white chocolate ganache, using 2 parts white chocolate to 1 part cream (for a thicker ganache). Bring the cream to a simmer first, taking care not to burn the cream. Remove from heat, add the white chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute before stirring. Stir until smooth, and then pour atop the cheesecake.