Mint Aero Bar Cheesecake

Did you know that hedgehogs LOVE mint? Well, neither did I. But I do know that I certainly luv it!!

What could be better than a refreshing, amazingly creamy, minty cheesecake. Nothing? I knew it! So here is a simple step by step recipe that will guide you from a crisp base, to a silky smooth mint cheesecake batter, this Mint Aero bar cheesecake is my go to recipe for when I'm feeding a crowd or just a summer dessert for my family. No matter who it's for, this cheesecake will always be a winner!!

So, lets get started!!

For the cheesecake base you'll need:

-100 grams of dark chocolate biscuits (cookies)

-40 grams of butter

-35 gram Peppermint Crisp bar

For the cheesecake batter you'll need:

-2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin

-25 ml of water

-200 grams of cream cheese at room temp

-100 grams of yogurt

-55 grams of sugar

-200 grams of whipping cream

-mint green food coloring

-peppermint extract

-118 gram peppermint Aero bar

For decoration you'll need:

-100 grams of dark chocolate

For this project you'll need:

-scales

-teaspoons

-2 zip lock bags

-rolling pin

-a 5 by 9 inch rectangular pan

-ruler

-scissors

-baking paper

-drinking glass/measuring cup

-electric beaters

-spatula

-a large and small mixing bowls

-offset spatula

So, first things first - we need to start with the base. For this you'll need your 100 grams of dark chocolate cookies, (I used Choc Ripple Biscuits) 40 grams of butter and the 35 gram block of Peppermint Crisp (if this chocolate bar isn't available in your country, your favorite mint chocolate bar will work just fine, (or even better :D)

To start making the base melt 40 grams of butter in the microwave until liquid, about 30 seconds. (Ensure that you cover your butter before you microwave it, the consequences of not doing this isn't a great cleaning experience)

Now here's that step that everyone loves, take your 100 grams of cookies and place them into a Ziplock bag. With a heavy rolling pin, smash them with all your might (this is a great way to release any unwanted energy) until they resemble fine sand or breadcrumbs.

Now that your cookies are crushed, add you melted butter and mix it in with the crumbs. I attempted this still in the bag but found it complete failure and swapped to a bowl and spoon. So you do what works best for you :)

Once your butter and cookie crumbs are combined, crush your peppermint bar and add it to the mixture and set to one side.

(Although my mixture looks like mincemeat, let me assure you that it is not)

Grab your rectangle 5 by 9 inch loaf pan, baking paper, scissors and ruler. Measure your pan and cut your baking paper to size so one piece is 9 inches and the other 5, or like the photo above.

Now add the base mixture we set aside, with a measuring cup or drinking glass (pressing firmly) smooth out the crumbs so they reach all sides. Once this procedure is complete place the pan in the fridge to chill for around 20 minutes, or until ready to use.

While your base is chilling out in the fridge take your 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin and stir it into your 25 ml of cold water, set this aside and let bloom (become solid)

In a large bowl add your 250 grams of room temperature cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy. Once your cream cheese is smooth add your 100 grams of yoghurt and 55 grams of sugar. (If you are using unsweetened yoghurt add 65 grams of sugar) mix this with a spatula until combined and no lumps are visible.

Taking your 200 grams of whipping cream, whip until the consistency of thick yogurt, this ensures your final mixture is easy to pour, it will also stop it from separating. Once whipped, add your thick but runny cream to your yogurt, cream cheese and sugar mixture. Fold them together with a spatula and avoid knocking too much air out of the mixture.

Once your cheesecake mixture is smooth, divide it into two equal portions. Taking your bloomed gelatin, remove it from its container out onto a chopping board. Cut your gelatin into two equal halves and set one aside. (cutting the gelatin in half will ensure that while the first layer of cheesecake is setting in the fridge, the second layer won't set in the bowl while waiting)

Take one of your gelatin halves and pour enough boiling water over it to melt it (probably 1 teaspoon). Please use caution with the boiling water. Once melted, add your gelatin to one half of your cheesecake batters, mix until combined.

Taking your Cheesecake base from the fridge unwrap your 118 gram mint chocolate bar (I am using a mint Aero bar but I understand this isn't available everywhere in the world, so if this isn't something you can find at your local shop, just use your favorite mint chocolate bar). Place your chocolate bar on top of your base and then pour over the the mixture we prepared in the previous step. Using an offset spatula or a normal spatula, smooth the first layer of cheesecake out until flat. Chill this in the fridge for around 30 minutes.

While the first layer of cheesecake is in the fridge, grab the second half of the cheesecake batter and add to it 1 cap full (1 teaspoon) of peppermint extract and 4 drops of mint green gel food coloring. Fold until your mixture is a smooth mint green color. Set aside.

Once the first layer of cheesecake is firm to touch, take it out of the fridge and to the top of it add your mint green layer. Place this back into the fridge to set, around 3-4 hours or overnight.

To top off this truly amazingly delicious minty cheesecake let's get on with the decorations. Grab your 100 grams of dark chocolate and roughly chop it. Once this is complete, melt it in the microwave in short bursts on medium heat until smooth and fully melted. Take care not to overheat as this will spoil the chocolate.

Using the same pan as you made the cheesecake in, fill it half way with ice and top the rest up with cold water, set this to one side.

Get your melted chocolate and transfer it to a zip lock bag and cut a small hole in one corner. Set this aside and fish out the ice out of your water, (place the ice into a big zip lock bag a place into the freezer again, so nothing goes to waste).

With the zip lock bag in your hand, lightly apply pressure to the bag causing a thin but steady stream of chocolate to drizzle into the icy cold water, this creates a really awesome worm affect and because of the cold water the chocolate will set making for a really cool decoration for desserts, cakes, ice cream or in our case....a cheesecake. Once you have used up all of your melted chocolate, drain the water from the pan and flip the chocolate out onto a chopping board to air dry for a few minutes.

To finish this cheesecake, add your chocolate worms (decorations) to the top, for some variation you could roughly chop some mint Aero bar and place it on top as well. Cut yourself a generous slice and dig straight in, enjoy the mix of flavors and textures from the crunch of the base, the creaminess of the batter and the pure goodness of the chocolate decorations. This minty cheesecake makes for a great summer dessert for the family, so don't hesitate to gives this a try - it truly is a crowd pleaser!