In a food processor, crush the Oreos until they become a fine crumb. Pour the Oreo crumbs into a large bowl, drizzle the melted butter over the mixture, and stir until everything is evenly saturated with butter.
20 Oreos1, ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
Press the Oreo mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, then bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.
OREO LAYER
Place the chopped Oreos into a small bowl. Set aside.
12 Oreos
Gently heat the hot fudge in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds to so it is pourable, then add the peppermint extract to the warm hot fudge and stir to distribute evenly.
¼ cup (72g) hot fudge sauce, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Pour the hot fudge mixture over the Oreos and stir until all of the cookies are evenly coated. Set aside.
CHEESECAKE
In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar then beat again until combined, about another 2 minutes.
32 ounces (900g) full fat block cream cheese, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
Reduce the mixer speed to low3, then add the sour cream, vanilla, peppermint extract, and green gel food coloring and mix until completely combined.
8 ounces (226g) full fat sour cream, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons peppermint extract, 1 to 2 drops green gel food coloring
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low after the addition of each egg and adding the next just after the previous egg starts to incorporate, and continue mixing until there are no more yellow yolk streaks.
4 large eggs
Use a large spatula to carefully fold the batter together, scraping the bottom of the bowl and the sides to gather any extra batter that may not be fully incorporated. Sometimes I need to use the mixer again, but be sure to keep it on low. Your batter should be smooth and creamy without lumps.
Pour about ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan, then layer the cookie and hot fudge mixture evenly over the cheesecake batter (it does not have to be perfect, but try to prevent all of the cookies from winding up in one spot). Pour the remaining ⅔ of the cheesecake batter over the cookie layer and smooth out the top of the cheesecake.
Create a water bath4 by placing the 9" springform pan in a slightly larger round pan (I like to use a 10" cake pan) and then place that pan into an even larger round pan (I like to use a 12" cake pan) or roasting pan.
Fill the outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the middle pan, then carefully transfer the whole thing to the oven. You can also assemble the pans in the oven, but work quickly so as not to let too much hot air out of the oven.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The middle of the cheesecake (a center approximately 2" wide) should jiggle just a little bit. I use my digital instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 145ºF (63ºC). Turn the oven off5 and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the springform pan from all of the other pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack for another 2 hours. When the cheesecake is completely cool, cover or wrap tightly and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
TOPPING
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and use a spatula or butter knife to gently loosen the crust from the side of the pan, then release the outer ring of the springform pan.
Warm the hot fudge so it is pourable. Pour the hot fudge right on top of the cheesecake, then use a small offset spatula or spoon to spread the hot fudge evenly over the top of the cheesecake, allowing some to drip off the sides, if you prefer.
1 cup (288g) hot fudge sauce, homemade whipped cream
You can serve the cheesecake right away or chill it to set the hot fudge layer, if you prefer. If using homemade whipped cream, add right before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Cheesecake freezes well, without hot fudge on top, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, add the hot fudge, and serve.
Notes
Oreos: I highly recommend using standard Oreos as the filling can sometimes weep as it melts in the oven (extra filling means extra oil). If you want to use anything bigger than standard stuffed, remove the filling from half of the Oreos before proceeding. Please note that Mint Oreos are a Double Stuf variety, so you'd want to remove the filling from some of those if you decide to use them.
Room temperature: I cannot stress enough how important it is to have completely room temperature ingredients. This will insure you have the smoothest batter possible. I like to let my ingredients sit out at least 1 hour and sometimes closer to 2 hours before starting my recipe.
Mixer speed: it's important not to go above low (or low-medium) speed after you've beaten the cream cheese. Incorporating too much air will create bubbles and potential cracks in your finished cheesecake.
Water bath pans: here is a bundle that includes all the pans I use. Using this method eliminates the need to wrap anything in foil.
Cool the cheesecake: I like to prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Make a smaller cheesecake: you can make this exact cheesecake recipe in a 6" springform pan or 7.5" springform pan. Simply halve the recipe (for the crust and the filling). Bake time will be about 60-70 minutes. You can reduce the sizes of the water bath pans to 8" round and 10" round sizes or use the same ones I have linked here.
Make in the Instant Pot: you can make this exact cheesecake in a smaller size by halving the recipe (for all components) and following the instructions outlined in my Instant Pot cheesecake recipe.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.