PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE

This frozen peppermint cheesecake is the quintessential Christmas confection. It has a wonderfully festive appearance, a cool holiday peppermint filling, and a decadent chocolate crust—and it can be prepared well in advance. It is the perfect sweet ending to any holiday celebration.

CRUST

1½ cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (pulsed in the bowl of a food processor)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted

FILLING

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup crushed hard peppermint candy

3 drops of red food coloring

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Whipped cream for garnish

Whole and crushed hard peppermint for garnish

Hot chocolate sauce for garnish

Makes 1 cheesecake, approximately 12 servings

1. To make the crust, combine the chocolate cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl, and mix well until it resembles wet sand. Press in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.

2. To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk, crushed peppermint candy, and food coloring (one drop at a time, mixing after each until you achieve the desired color), and mix well. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the 2 cups of whipped heavy cream until just combined. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Freeze, covered, until set, at least 24 hours.

3. Before serving, allow the cheesecake to sit at room temperature about 10 minutes to make it easier to slice. Unlatch the springform pan and slice. Drizzle each slice with hot chocolate sauce, and garnish with whipped cream and peppermint candy.

MAKE IT AHEAD: Make this cheesecake up to three months in advance, and store it in an airtight container in the freezer.