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Mini Thin Mint Cheesecakes

Being a New Year’s baby growing up has never been fun. Most of my birthdays were spent with football, no birthday cake and pork & sauerkraut. FYI: I do not like pork and I hate sauerkraut – I call it my New Year’s Birthday curse. Don’t get me wrong, my family always celebrated my birthday, it was just always pushed to the weekend after New Years. Not quite the same luster as celebrating your big day – on your big day. For my 19th birthday, I decided I was going to break the tradition and make my own birthday cake – so I combined my two favorite ingredients into one ridiculously delicious cake – & boy, oh boy, did I enjoy it!

My commitment to making my own birthday cakes didn’t last long as it just doesn’t taste the same when you have to make it yourself. One day, a bakery will stay open on New Years and on that day, I will get my cake. One day.

Bakeries aside, this Mint Chocolate Chip Cake was (and probably still is) my all-time favorite birthday cake. Dark chocolate cake, minty cool frosting, and a nice delicious shell of dark chocolate coating. It was the first dessert in a chain of events that led to a beautiful mint chocolate collection of recipes.

Do you remember my Girl Scout Cookie Collection cupcake series that I did? This minty twist on Cookies and Cream was definitely my favorite of the three. Chocolate cupcakes, mint chocolate ganache and a mint cookies and cream buttercream that is 10/10 irresistible. Obviously, Thin Mints are the best of the Girl Scout Cookies which makes these a Thin Mint lover’s dream come true – unless of course, you count the cheesecakes.

It’s cookies and cream, thin mints, and creamy cheesecake goodness all wrapped into one sweet bite-sized treat. THEN it’s all topped with a creamy a decadent mint chocolate ganache because obviously the cheesecake wasn’t enough. Are you drooling yet? Girl Scout Cookie season is almost upon us again so it’s time to start preparing what delicious recipes you’re going to make with them. Don’t worry – it just gives you an excuse to eat more than you were originally planning on ordering. As if we needed another excuse, am I right?

Pin this recipe & make sure you have it on hand when the Girl Scout Cookies come rolling in – you can make them to share, or make them for yourself – I won’t tell if you don’t! If you’re looking for a mini cheesecake pan to make the recipe, I highly recommend trying this Norpro Nonstick Mini Cheesecake Pan – It’s a breeze to clean and makes the perfect bite-sized treats!

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Mini Thin Mint Cheesecakes

Ingredients

Thin Mint Crust

  • 1 sleeve Thin Mint Cookies
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tsp. salt

Mint Cheesecake

  • 16 oz. cream cheese room temp
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg room temp
  • 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
  • 1 tsp. green food coloring if desired
  • 1 sleeve Thin Mint Cookies crushed

Mint Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 cup mint chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 sleeve Thin Mint Cookies for topping

Instructions

For the Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease the inside of a mini cheesecake pan.

  2. In a food processor, grind the Thin Mint Cookies until they are fine crumbles. Add in the salt and melted butter and pulse until well-combined.

  3. Lightly press about 1 tbsp. of the crumb mixture into each of the wells. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

  4. Fill a large 9x13 pan with 1/2 inch of water and place it in the bottom shelf of your oven. The moisture helps the cheesecakes cook evenly.

Mint Cheesecake

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese together until smooth. Slowly add in the sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl regularly to make sure they're well combined. Add the egg followed by the extract and food coloring.

  2. Mix the ingredients well making sure all clumps of cream cheese have been well-combined.

  3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cookie pieces with a rubber spatula.

  4. Scoop the mixture into the cheesecake pan, filling each well about 3/4 of the way full.

  5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheesecakes have fully set in the middle. Once finished, turn the oven off and crack slightly, letting the cheesecakes come slowly to room temperature.

  6. Once cooled, place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Mint Chocolate Ganache

  1. To make the ganache, place the chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.

  2. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until steaming - be careful not to boil it! Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and cover with a small lid. Let sit for 5 minutes.

  3. Whisk the chocolate and heavy cream until smooth. Let sit for 20-30 minutes, or until thick enough to pipe on top of the cheesecakes.

  4. Pipe the ganache on top of the cheesecakes and sprinkle with extra crushed Thin Mints for decorations. Serve them up and enjoy!

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