Thin Mint Cheesecake

Enjoy a Thin Mint Cheesecake made with your favorite Girl Scout Cookies!

 

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 box Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies finely ground in a food processor (2 1/3 cups)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling:
20 oz cream cheese (2 1/2 eight-ounce packages), softened
8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Make crust:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Stir together cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl. Pat onto the bottom of the springform pan and 1 1/2 inches up the side (about 1 inch thick).
• Put pan in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. If you skip this step, you will have butter dripping in the oven.
• Cool completely on a rack, about 25 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make filling while crust bakes:

• Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Careful not to overmix.
• Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix at low speed until combined.
• Pour into cooled crust and bake until cake is set and puffed around edge but still trembles slightly when pan is shaken gently, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around edge to help prevent cracking.
• Cool completely in pan on rack, then chill, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.
• Cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 3 days.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.