Andes Mint Brownie Cheesecake Gluten-Free tastes just as good, no better, than it looks!
Andes Mint Brownie Cheesecake Gluten-Free
I love cheesecake, and brownies and mint and it was my birthday … so here is how this heavenly dessert came to be …
This decadent dessert is not that hard to make! Cheesecake is kind of my thing. Following the holidays and my Cranberry Cheesecake I asked my mom what my next flavor should be. She said next year do a peppermint one.
Well, this made me think of a dessert we make called fudge mint bars. I thought hmm we have a cakey brownie bottom … mint frosting … fudgy top – why can’t I do a cheesecake version?
If you wanted to make brownies from scratch you could, I’m sure. I used Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Brownie Mix. I just baked it in my spring form pan. I didn’t even check to see if they were done or not because I knew I’d be baking the cheesecake.
Ok so if you watch your grocery store when there is a sale – you’ll need three of these. DO NOT USE generic cream cheese. Not sure why, but it will clump and lump up and you want your cheesecake to be smooth. So, don’t scrimp here!
Make sure you pull the cream cheese out and let it get to room temperature. If you take it out when you start making the brownies, then it should be fine.
Before I add eggs, I crack them into a bowl then pour them in. This way if there happens to be blood in your egg or you get shells you can pick them out and it’s not ruined your whole batter.
The key to good cheesecake is to NOT over beat it. If you’ve never made a cheesecake before – you are mixing things together until SMOOTH.
Now some people put a water bath when they bake a cheesecake. I will tell you I did do it with my spring form and some of the water got into the bottom of the cheesecake. It turned out fine but I’m in the desert and at a high altitude – so I got lucky. You do NOT need a water bath when baking this cheesecake.
Now I know if you are like me, you will think that a little taste now won’t hurt right? NO – Don’t do it! Trust me you will want the ganache!
Pour the Ganache over the cheesecake from the center out – let it drop down the sides. If you have a little gap like above – see that tiny little green? Just take a spatula and smooth out the ganache. You can always grab some that’s dripped way down.
Here you can see the brownie bottom, the mint cheesecake, and the ganache top! It’s just the right combination of mint and chocolate together. Of course, if your family likes more mint add more mint flavoring or if they like more chocolate you could add mini chocolate chips to the cheesecake – do so during the “stir” process in the instructions.
I always make whipped cream from scratch. It really doesn’t take long at all and always makes your desserts seem so decedent when you do! I topped with some chopped Andes Mints. You could sprinkle them on top of the cheesecake when the ganache is just poured over the cheesecake or leave it as a garnish.
I hope you enjoyed this dessert as much as my friends, family and I have!