Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake for Supper

Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake is a creamy ice cream pie with rich cheesecake flavor, an Oreo crust, and soft swirls of marshmallows. It is also super straightforward to make!

author’s note

The Best Of Both Worlds In A Dessert!

Do you remember my Frozen Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake? It has (so far) been the most popular recipe on the blog, and definitely one of a reliable desserts. Even my husband (not a pumpkin fan) ate his fair share of that pie. That’s when you know you have a recipe win, BTW!

Well, I have great news! I went at it again and created another version of that pie. This one is more appropriate for December and Christmas though – it’s hot chocolate-flavored! With tiny marshmallows throughout, this Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake is sure to be a hit!

True to form with the last pie, this one is just as straightforward. Mix a few ingredients, mix in the Cool Whip, and freeze. Freezing is the hardest part. (That waiting game.)

Oreo Crust

• Crush the Oreos® thoroughly. If there are big pieces of the cookies in the crust, it will still taste great, but the pie won’t cut and serve as nicely. It is worth a blender or food processor for crushing the cookies. Alternatively, you can add all the cookies to a large plastic bag, remove any air from the bag, and break the cookies into crumbs with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
• Don’t add hot butter to the crushed Oreos. Let the butter cool slightly before mixing the two, to avoid a greasy pie crust.
• Leave the creme filling. There’s no need to separate the creme from the cookie; the creme adds structure and sweetness to the crust.
• Don’t add sugar. A lot of crust recipes (typically graham cracker crusts — like in this Creamy Lemon Pie) call for sugar, but the Oreo creme sweetens the crust plenty.

Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Tips

• Allow the cream cheese time to come to room temperature: If you use cold cream cheese or try and microwave it, you will end up with unpleasant chunks in your cheesecake. Give it at least an hour sitting at room temperature (or in a warmish environment).
• Allow plenty of time for the filling to set up. The filling takes a good eight hours to be completely firm and frozen; don’t try to rush this. Also, when serving, make sure you return any leftovers promptly to the freezer. This cheesecake begins softening very quickly at room temperature.
• Cover the cheesecake tightly in the freezer with plastic wrap and then foil to avoid freezer burn.
• Use a sharp knife to cut slices. You can run the knife under hot water, quickly dry it off, and then make a cut. Repeat for each cut; this cheesecake is sticky and firm! Everyone should have some good knives for times like this.
• Go with full-fat products. Reduced-fat cream cheese and light versions of Cool Whip will cause a wet and melty cheesecake that might not set up properly; I don’t recommend any of these ingredients.

Quick Tip

Cool Whip is a frozen non-dairy dessert topping. Our version isn’t dairy-free, so keep that in mind if you have dietary restrictions!

from-scratch “Cool Whip”

This cheesecake calls for one 8-ounce container of Cool Whip®. If you’d like a healthier alternative, you can try TruWhip®. Or make your own whipped topping (recipe below) to use in place of the container of frozen whipped topping. Just FYI, Cool Whip is a non-dairy product, and of course, that isn’t the case with the from-scratch version.

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl attached to a stand mixer (with a whisk attachment) add the 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat to combine and then increase the speed and whip until firm peaks form, about 2-4 minutes. Now you’ve got from-scratch whipped topping to add to this Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake!

More Holiday Inspired Desserts:

Quick And straightforward

Christmas Snack Mix

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Quick And straightforward

Reindeer Chow

Desserts

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• 1-3/4 cups Oreo crumbs (24 cookies)
• 1/16 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese (full-fat, softened)
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (full-fat, see note 1)
• 3 milk chocolate flavored hot cocoa mixes (with marshmallows, see note 2)
• 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder ((special dark), see note 3)
• 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip, completely thawed)
• 1/2 cup dehydrated marshmallows (skippable, see note 4)
• Whipped cream (skippable finish)

Method

1. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform or pie pan with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, keep nearby to cool for 5 minutes. (Hot butter will cause a greasy crust.) In a blender or food processor, process the whole cookies (don’t separate cookie from cream) until they are all fine crumbs (reblend any large chunks). Measure to get a level 1-3/4 cups of crumbs and add to a large bowl. Add the salt. Use a spatula to scrape in every bit of butter and mix until well combined.
2. Empty the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Using your fingers, press the crumbs into just the bottom of the pan (if using a springform pan) and up the sides (if using a pie pan). Use the bottom of a flat 1-cup measuring cup to thoroughly compress the crumbs into a firm crust. Place in the freezer while preparing the filling.
3. Add the softened (to room temperature) cream cheese to a large bowl and beat for about 45 seconds or until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Scrape the sides of your bowl with a spatula. Add the hot cocoa mixes and again beat to combine. Beat in the cocoa powder until integrated.
4. Add in completely thawed whipped topping and use a spatula to gently fold into the mixture until completely integrated (no dark streaks of the chocolate mixture remain—the filling should be an even light brown color). Be careful to not overmix the whipped topping, but ensure it’s well combined with the other filling ingredients. Finally, add in dehydrated marshmallows (if using) and gently fold through.
5. Pour the mixture over the Oreo crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. Cover pan and freeze overnight or for at least 8 hours. When ready to serve, remove cheesecake and cut into slices with a sharp knife (see note 5). If desired, finish individual slices with whipped cream.