The Drizzliest

PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE ON A STICK

My son thinks these fun cheesecake pops are good enough to sell! —Maria Morelli, Kelowna, BC

Prep: 11/4 hours + freezing

Bake: 1 hour + chilling • Makes: 1 dozen

11/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

CHEESECAKE

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup sour cream 1/4 cup eggnog or half-and-half cream

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 1 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 35 candies)

ASSEMBLY

12 wooden pop sticks

28 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped 3 Tbsp. shortening

1/2 cup green candy coating disks, melted 1/4 cup red candy coating disks, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about

18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet.

2. In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream, eggnog, cornstarch and vanilla.

Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Fold in peppermint candies. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

4. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 60-65 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.

5. Remove rim from pan. Cut cheesecake into 12 slices; gently insert a wooden stick into the wide end of each. Place on a waxed paper-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan; freeze until firm.

6. In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Spoon chocolate mixture over each slice until all sides are coated; allow excess to drip off. (Keep remaining slices in freezer until ready to dip.) Place on a waxed paper-lined baking pan. Seal any gaps by drizzling with melted chocolate. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until set.

7. Decorate with melted candy coating as desired. Refrigerate until serving.

1 SLICE 951 cal., 64g fat (37g sat. fat), 138mg chol., 356mg sod., 61g carb.

(48g sugars, 2g fiber), 12g pro.