Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

This week has been a whirlwind of a week! Work has been busy, I am getting a new roommate in a few days so my current roommate has everything in disarray for his move, I got a precious new niece, I FINALLY got my Christmas time off approved and bought a plane ticket to see said niece (and the rest of the family), and in the midst of it all I am still finding my zen in the kitchen. This week I made Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake for my friend, Kelly's, birthday. I LOVE cheesecake. I LOVE chocolate. I LOVE mint. Put it all together and you have a party in your mouth!

Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups finely ground Oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup chopped Andes Mint candies

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Crust:

Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into a 9” spring form pan. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes. Cool and fill with pie filling. Take out and turn oven up to 450°F.

Filling:

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well after each one. Add chocolate, Andes candies, sour cream, and vanilla. Pour over crust.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 250°F and bake for 35 minutes more. Turn off oven and leave in for 1 hour. Don’t open door. Put cheesecake in the refrigerator and chill for 4-5 hours.

Stay tuned for next week's Pumpkin Swirl Brownies. So. Good.