I met my husband Kurt in early November of 2012, just two months before Christmas. As we got to know each other, our shared love for good food became evident. Naturally, one of the first topics of conversation we ever discussed was our favorite foods. He told me of his love for cheesecake, and I noticed that he also really enjoyed desserts and drinks with mint flavor. So, for our first Christmas together, I combined two of his favorites into one and gifted him this festive and Some Kinda Good Peppermint Cheesecake. After all, they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Homemade from scratch with a walnut and vanilla wafer crust, I piped fresh whipped cream around the edges and garnished it with crushed peppermints to make it extra special. This is the most creamy, decadent cheesecake you’ll ever put in your mouth.

I dressed it in my best cake dome, and tied red and silver ribbons to the top. When I pulled the cake out of the refrigerator to give to him, he was impressed and surprised. Let’s just say, it was a December to remember. I’ve been Mrs. Lingenfelser for more than four years, and this Peppermint Cheesecake helped to seal the deal! Gifts from the kitchen are among the most special to give. For a show stopping dessert, make this for one of your holiday celebrations or package it up as an extra special gift from the heart of your home. Merry Christmas, from my family to yours.

Some Kinda Good Peppermint Cheesecake
YIELD: 14-16 servings

Ingredients

●     40 vanilla wafers, crushed

●     1 cup finely chopped walnuts

●     1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

●     2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

●     1/2 cup butter, softened

●     1-1/2 cups sugar

●     2 cups 4 percent cottage cheese

●     2 cups sour cream

●     6 tablespoons cornstarch

●     6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

●     4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

●     1 teaspoon peppermint extract

●     4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Fresh Whipped Cream:

●     1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

●     1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

●     2 tablespoons of sugar

●     Crushed peppermint candies

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, walnuts and butter. Press onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a greased 10-inch springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth. Process cottage cheese in a blender until smooth; beat into a cream cheese mixture. Beat in the sour cream, cornstarch, flour, lemon juice and peppermint extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust, being careful not to overfill. You may have extra filling. Place leftover filling in an airtight container and refrigerate for a rainy day.

Return pan to baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 70-80 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.

For fresh whipped cream, in a cold bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, sugar and peppermint extract until peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a piping bag fitted with the star tip and pipe stars around the border of the top and bottom of the cake.