Thin Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

(Thanks to my friend, Michelle, we took some great shots of this one.)

Thin Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

The words: Girls Scout Cookies have a way of inducing instant salivation. I suppose if you are a Girl Scout mom your reaction may differ significantly. To those of you, like myself, that stare at the little green box envisioning that chocolaty wafer melting into my taste buds and knowing if I pull that tear tab I will have to invoke all of my will not to huddle in a corner shoving every last cookie in my mouth and licking any crumbs from the container, and to you moms that are still buried under piles of cookies that did not sell; this recipe is a great way to mix it up and share a Seriously Amazing dessert with your friends. 

What you will need:

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/8 c. finely ground almonds
• 1 box coarsely ground Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies 
• remove ½ cup, finely grind and reserve for later
• 18 mini Oreo's or 2 servings
• ½ Tbs. melted butter
  

Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:

• 3 (8oz.) bricks Philadelphia fat free cream cheese
• 1 (8oz.) bricks Philadelphia low fat cream cheese
• 1 c. sugar
• ½ c. finely ground thin mint
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Schnapps
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¾ c. fat free sour cream
• 8 Andes mints (chopped)
• ¼ c. Hershey’s or Braum’s hot fudge

Topping:

• 8 Andes mints
• ¼ c. hot fudge
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Schnapps

Place a sheet cake pan on middle rack of oven and preheat oven 475 F.

Wrap exterior of spring form pan with foil. Combine finely ground almonds, coarsely ground Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (minus ½ c.), and mini Oreo's. Work melted butter into dry mixture. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of 10” round spring form pan.

Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, reserved (1/2 c.) finely ground thin mints, Schnapps and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time while stirring slowly. Reserve 1 cup of batter, and pour the rest of the batter into the prepared crust.

Return the cup of batter to the mixing bowl and add chopped Andes mints and hot fudge. Mix until well blended. Pour layer over batter in spring form pan.

Add water to sheet cake pan.

Place spring form pan in water bath. Bake 12 minutes at 475 F, then turn down to 350 F and cook for about 50 minutes. Time will vary depending on oven. Remove. Cool. Chill in refrigerator over night.

Melt Andes mints. Stir into hot fudge and Schnapps. Drizzle over individual slices to garnish.

Serves: 12

About 315 calories per serving plain

About 440 calories per serving with topping