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Instant Pot Peppermint Cheesecake

peppermint cheesecake on a white plate
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5 from 2 reviews

Peppermint, Chocolate, and Vanilla come together to create this unique, pretty cheesecake.  The combination of flavors is incredible!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Crust

  • 1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs (about 12 cookies)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the Cheesecake Filling

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup 2% greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 4 ounces white chocolate (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 3 drops red food coloring

For the Whipped Cream Topping

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prepare a 7 inch springform pan by coating it with a non-stick spray.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, butter, and peppermint extract.
  3. Press evenly in the bottom of the pan. Place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
  4. In a mixing bowl mix cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth.
  5. Blend in yogurt, cornstarch, and vanilla.  
  6. Mix in eggs one at a time just until blended; don’t over mix. (for food processor directions, see notes)
  7. Divide batter into 3 small bowls (about 1 cup of batter in each).  
  8. Melt the semisweet chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir.  Return the chocolate to the microwave for another 15-30 seconds and stir until it is completely melted and smooth.  
  9. Whisk melted chocolate into one of the bowls of cheesecake batter until completely combined then pour into crust. Smooth the top.
  10. Melt 2 ounces of white chocolate in the same manner and whisk into another bowl of cheesecake batter.  
  11. Pour over the chocolate layer, starting at the exterior of the pan then moving towards the center. Smooth the layer with the back of a spoon.
  12. Finally, melt the last 2 ounces of white chocolate as above and whisk into the last bowl of batter.  Add peppermint extract and food coloring and continue to stir until all the ingredients are completely incorporated.
  13. Pour over the white chocolate layer, again pouring from the exterior then towards the middle.  Smooth the top.
  14. Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooking pot, and place the trivet in the bottom.
  15. Carefully center the filled pan on a foil sling and lower it into the pressure cooking pot. Fold the foil sling down so that it doesn’t interfere with closing the lid.
  16. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 35 minutes.
  17. When beep sounds, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.
  18. Remove cheesecake and check the cheesecake to see if the middle is set. If not, cook the cheesecake an additional 5 minutes. Use the corner of a paper towel to soak up any water on top of the cheesecake.
  19. Remove the springform pan, place on a wire rack to cool. When cheesecake is cooled, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  20. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  21. Top with Vanilla Whipped Cream and garnish with crushed peppermint candies and chocolate curls, if desired.

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream

  • To a high-speed blender add cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.  Blend on high speed until thickened
  • Alternatively, use a hand mixer to beat to desired thickness.

Notes

  • I like making cheesecake batter in a food processor.  It makes it ultra smooth without incorporating a lot of air into the batter.  Mix the batter in the proccessor the same as instructed above (see picture collage in post).  After adding the eggs, only pulse 2 – 3 times, then mix the rest of the way by hand
  • Always use room temperature cream cheese and eggs.  This results in a much smoother cheesecake
  • Stir in eggs just until incorporated.  Overbeating the eggs can result in the cheesecake overflowing while cooking
  • Top with peppermint candies right before serving.  They tend to melt and run into the whipped cream once they sit for awhile

Find it online: https://instafreshmeals.com/instant-pot-peppermint-cheesecake/