Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:

For Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Crust: In a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.
2. Filling: In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachments, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer running, pour in melted chocolate in a steady stream. Stir ½ cup of the flour, vanilla and peppermint extract. In a small bowl, coat chocolate chunks and candy canes with the remaining flour. Fold into batter by hand.
3. Pour over frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pan. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center has slight jiggle to it, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating or serving.
4. Decoration: Ice top of cake with Classic Whipped Cream Topping or pipe a ribbon around border, if desired. Top with crushed candy canes.

*Tip: To crush candy canes, place them in a sealable plastic bag and pound with a meat pounder until crushed to desired coarseness.

For Whipped Topping:

1. In a well-chilled mixer bowl fitted with whip attachment, whip cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, sprinkle with sugar and whip until firm peaks form.
2. Pipe a ribbon or rosettes around the border of cheesecake or ice the entire top.