Preheat oven to 325F. Wrap a 9” or a 9 1/2” springform pan in two layers of foil, making sure it’s covered at least halfway up the pan (on the outside). Spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray.

Crush cookies in a food processor. Stir in melted butter and then press into the bottom and about 1” up the sides of the prepared pan.

Place a kettle or pan of water on to boil. This is for your water bath.

It is very important that all your ingredients are room temperature. This will help avoid lumps in the cheesecake!

Beat cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl. Add sour cream and sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl (and the paddle) often. Add eggs, vanilla, and 1/4 cup flour and beat until completely mixed, again scraping the sides of the bowl often. Be sure you are scraping the bottom too, I know batter and cream cheese often gets trapped in that small space at the bottom of my Kitchen Aid bowl.

Place mini chocolate chips and chopped creme de menthe candies in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon flour and mix gently with your fingers to coat. This is to help the chips not all sink to the bottom of your cheesecake. Fold gently into cheesecake mixture with a spatula.

Pour cheesecake mixture into your prepared pan. Place the pan in a large rectangular pan (I used a roasting pan). Place pan on a rack in the middle of the hot oven. Carefully pour your boiling water around the cheesecake pan so that it comes up about 1/3 of the way. This will help your cheesecake cook evenly.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, prop open oven and let cheesecake sit inside for one hour. Remove carefully, cool completely, cover and the chill for at least 12 hours before continuing.

While the cheesecake is chilling, make your mint chocolate ganache. Here is how I like to make ganache: add heavy cream to a microwave safe measuring cup. Add mini chocolate chips and creme de menthe pieces and microwave for about 30-60 seconds. I like to start at 30 seconds, whisk, then do increments of 15 seconds, whisking after each, until the mixture is smooth and all the chocolate is melted. Chill to set, about an hour or two. It should be pourable but not thick like frosting. If it’s too thick that means it’s chilled too long, but you can just microwave it for a few seconds and stir to loosen it up.

When ready to assemble cheesecake, spread about half the ganache mixture on top of the cheesecake. You’ll have some leftover, you can use that for serving. Top with more some chopped Oreos, if desired. Note: the Oreos will get stale after being on the cake for awhile. Do this right before serving.

Store cheesecake in refrigerator.