Thin Mint Cheesecake delivers a minty, creamy filling over a crisp Thin Mint crust, topped with whipped cream and extra cookies.
author’s note
Cool, Creamy, and Minty Cheesecake!
I’m totally obsessed with Girl Scout Cookies—and my family is, too! Samoas and Thin Mints are my top picks.
After making those Samoa-filled brownie ice cream bars, I knew I had to create another frozen treat featuring our other favorite, Thin Mints.
These Thin Mint Cheesecake bars are smooth, creamy, minty, and sweet, with a texture that’s like a cross between soft ice cream and no-bake cheesecake. Plus, they’re super easy to assemble; the hardest part is waiting for them to set up overnight in the freezer!
Thin Mint Crust
Girl Scout Thin Mints are my fave for the base, but other brands of similar cookies will work.
A few quick tips:
- No Thin Mints? Oreo® cookies work great too! Just use my Oreo Pie Crust.
- Crush the cookies well to avoid big chunks that make the crust hard to cut and serve.
- Let the melted butter cool a bit before adding it to the cookies to stop the crust from getting greasy.
- Press the crust down firmly using a metal measuring cup to spread it evenly.
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easier removal and cleaner slices.
If the cookies seem too dry, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of butter to help the crust come together.
Thin Mint Cheesecake Tips
- Let cream cheese soften at room temperature for at least an hour to avoid chunks.
- Freeze the filling for 8 hours—don’t rush it or the texture won’t set.
- Use peppermint extract (not mint extract) and add gradually to taste.
- Use a sharp knife and run it under hot water between cuts for clean slices.
- Return leftovers to the freezer quickly to prevent softening.
- Use full-fat ingredients—low-fat versions will make the cheesecake too wet.
Quick Tip
Cover cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap and then foil to avoid freezer burn.
Homemade “Cool Whip”
If you prefer, use TruWhip or make your own homemade whipped cream.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Let them thaw for a few minutes before serving.
More Dessert Recipes:
Desserts
Mini Cheesecake Recipe
Desserts
Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake
Desserts
Brownie Ice Cream Bars
Desserts
Twix Cheesecake Bars
Thin Mint Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (9-ounces) package Thin Mint Cookies off-brand/store-bought works great! Plus some for garnish if desired
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract not mint extract
- Green food coloring
- 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping completely thawed, see note 1
- frozen whipped topping optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the entire package of thin mint cookies until they are fine crumbs. Melt butter and let stand until slightly cooled (don’t add hot butter to cookie crumbs). Add to cookie crumbs and stir until combined. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan and slightly up the sides. Press firmly with the back of a 1-cup measuring cup.
- In a large bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese. Using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese about 3–4 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix another 2–3 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides while mixing.
- Mix in peppermint extract and food coloring. Add as much food coloring as you want until you reach the desired color. With the spatula, fold in the whipped topping until it is completely incorporated. Be careful to not overmix. Pour the mixture into the crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Cover the spring form pan and place in the freezer. Freeze overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Serve cheesecake directly from the freezer and return to the freezer as soon as you are finished serving. It will melt easily and quickly!
- Optionally garnish individual slices with spray whipped topping. Cut some thin mints in half and stick the cookies into the whipped cream and/or crush additional thin mints over the whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This dessert looks amazing! I want to serve it to my friends when I host them for our March card making meeting, but first I made it for my husbands golfing buddies who were visiting from Alaska. They were my guinea pigs. I’m glad that I experimented on them first. The frozen cheesecake tasted great, BUT the thin mint crust did not hold together, and when I cut into the pie I had cookie crumbs all over the counter top. I followed the recipe exactly. What went wrong? i would still like to serve it to my friends, but only if I can solve the crust mystery. Thanks
Hi Dona! Glad to hear you liked the filling, but so sorry the crust didn’t work out like you were hoping. I’d love to help trouble-shoot it with you, but it’s hard to know what exactly went wrong so I’ll ask a few questions. Did you blend/food process the crumbs until they were super fine? If the cookies were even a little chunky that would cause a problem. Next, did you very firmly press the crust together? I used a hard object to really press the crumbs down and to get them to hold. Some other ideas – maybe the butter measurement was off a bit for your batch? Or you could just try using a little more butter in the crust. Another thing is it’s very important to grease the pan before laying down the cookie crumbs and then pressing them in very well. Hope this is helpful, please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks for your reply. The answer is yes to your questions: crumbs were super fine and pressed down firmly in the pan. BUT, there was no mention of using butter in the recipe above. I thought that was odd that there was no butter added to the crust, but followed the recipe anyway. How much butter should I add to the crust? That should definitely solve the problem. Thanks! Dona
Please try to post the amount of butter you used as soon as possible. I will be making this for a gathering at my house next Wednesday. Thanks!
Ah I’m sorry Dona, I didn’t use butter in this recipe, I misread the post you were commenting on. When I ground up the thin mints they were so sticky on their own that after pressing them down hard they held perfectly for mine. But perhaps a few tablespoons of butter would help. I would recommend starting with 3 tablespoons and seeing how sticky your mixture is. I’m wondering if the stickiness of your cookies verses the ones I used are due to a brand difference. I used an off brand thin mint cookie package from Wal mart if that helps.
Chelsea, Just want you to know that I did not give up on your recipe. Here it is over a year later, and I bought another box of Girl Scout Thin Mints and tried it again. I added three tablespoons of butter as you suggested, and it turned out great. I served it to a group of friends, and they said it was delicious. I might suggest that you add the butter to your original recipe. Thanks! Dona K.
This is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for those hot summer days (if they ever get here). Thanks again for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
You are my hero. Like, you literally just made my entire day. You have no idea how much I love thin mints. This needs (and will) be made immediately. And, thanks to you, I just totally remembered that I have a box of thin mints stashed way in the back of our freezer (if I didn’t bury them in the back, they would be gone by now, haha). Pinning 🙂
Ahh, what a wonderful frozen treat! I actually like eating frozen cheesecake! Well, in bite-size form. I know I would love this, since I`m thin mint obessed!
Love this, girl! This is quite possibly the best idea for pi day. And the thin mints on the bottom?? Brilliant! 🙂
This frozen cheesecake looks amazing Chelsea! Love the thin mints crust and this is so perfect for St. Paddy’s day and Pi day! Love it!
This does look super easy! I feel ya with the math making zero sense girl. Too bad you didn’t meet him before your class ended :/ Ohhh well ya win some, ya loose some right?! Haha just gotta find a box of thin mints to make this! Thanks for sharing, enjoy your Saturday 🙂
My fiance’ loves Pi day too. Mostly because he loves pie. lol. I’m also not super into math but ohhhhh pie. loveit! And this cheesecake is something my Michael would FLIP for! For him thin mints + cheesecake=OMGAMAZINGYUMYUMYUM. That’s my kind of math
Chelsea, this pie looks amazing! I have never had frozen cheesecake before, and I need to try this recipe ASAP because I love cheesecake and of course thin mint cookies. Perfect dessert to celebrate Pi Day and St. Patrick’s Day, pinned 🙂
Frozen cheesecake? yum! Frozen cheesecake with Oreos!? Double yum!!