This Halloween Chocolate Chip Cheesecake has three festive layers: cookie crust and light cheesecake filling, topped with a shiny chocolate ganache. The result is a sweet and spooky dessert perfect for October.
When my family and I first saw the movie Hotel Transylvania, I loved when they mentioned “scream cheese”. The idea just stuck with me and eventually, I developed this Halloween cheesecake recipe.
Update: This is such a fun and popular holiday treat that I’ve updated the post with new photos and helpful tricks for you to treat yourself and your family to this sweet and scary cheesecake this October.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake for Halloween
This no-bake cheesecake is perfect for a small Halloween party this year. It’s fun to make, and kids can easily help out too. You can start with a store-bought or homemade cookie crust. For an easy no-bake cheesecake crust made with Oreos, follow the crust recipe in my Strawberry Cheesecake post.
The filling is a light and ghost-like whipped mixture of cream, cream cheese, and sugar. Simply fold in mini chocolate chips, and you’re done! Top it off with dense two-ingredient chocolate ganache and the Halloween decorations of your choice.
Tip: When baking cookies, use a scoop to portion out the dough and get perfectly round, even size cookies.
Tips for Perfect No-Bake Cheesecake
Before you get started on this Halloween Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature for a few hours before you start making the filling. Cold cream cheese won’t turn light and fluffy.
- Be sure to beat the heavy cream until medium-stiff peaks form. You’ll know it’s done when you pick up the whisk attachment, flip it upside down, and the cream clings to the whisk but flops over a bit on top.
- When you fold in the chocolate chips, or any mix-in, do so gently. Use a rubber spatula and fold until just combined. The goal is to keep as much air in the filling as possible.
- For the slices to hold together when you slice it, be sure to chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Note: this is a perfect make-ahead dessert!
- Likewise, allow the chocolate ganache to cool to a thick and spreadable consistency before covering your cake. If it’s too warm, the chocolate can cause the cream cheese filling to melt.
Decorating Ideas for Halloween Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
This cheesecake has a smooth, shiny chocolate ganache on top. It’s the perfect blank slate for decorating however you like. This year, we used a bat template to decorate the top. Any other Halloween-inspired shape would also work. The first time I made this recipe, I used a Scream face template.
To use a template, place your printed template under a piece of parchment paper. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave and transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag with a small round tip or Ziploc with a corner snipped off.
Trace the template onto the parchment paper with white chocolate and fill in the middle. Then place the parchment paper in the fridge on a flat plate or baking sheet to cool and harden. You can do this step first and by the time you finish making the cheesecake, the chocolate should be set up.
When your chocolate template is hard enough, set it on top of your ganache-covered cake.
You could also easily decorate this cake with Halloween sprinkles or other small candies.
More Halloween Recipes
If you’re still in the mood for Halloween baking, try these other holiday-themed recipes:
- Halloween Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies pack tons of chocolaty flavor, along with festive colored sprinkles for the holiday.
- Pressure Cooker Candy Corn Cheesecake from Pressure Cooking Today has three colorful layers just like the classic halloween candy
- Halloween Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn is a fun to eat, sweet, savory and crunchy stanck.
- Creepy Crêpes from Not Quite Nigella are a scary twist on your typical brunch.
Happy Halloween!
Halloween Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 9- inch ready-made chocolate graham cracker pie crust Oreo crust
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped, divided
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cheesecake
- In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
- Gently fold in miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread batter evenly into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Place half of the chocolate in a small mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream on medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
- Remove the cream from heat and immediately pour over chocolate in the small bowl and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add the remaining chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool until the ganache is thickened but still thin enough to spread.
- Spoon chocolate ganache on top of the cheesecake, spreading to edges. Refrigerate until ganache is set and ready to serve.
Kristen
Hahaha – scream cheese. Love it and love this idea! Happy Halloween!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme
What a clever idea! Just perfect for Halloween.
Valérie (Franche-Comté)
C’est une part de gâteau que je rends volontiers, puisque aujourd’hui c’est mon anniversaire et oui, je suis du 31 octobre, une sorcière 😉
Bises Barbara, merci pour ta fidélité
Bon 31 octobre
Valérie.
Sue
Deliciously decadent! Happy Halloween, Barbara!
Cass @foodmyfriend
That mask is way creepy! Your cheesecake looks so rich and tempting. Can I please have a piece with my tea?
My Inner Chick
—-OOOoooo, this looks like a sin. I Want! x
Blond Duck
I’ll scream for that!
Claire @ Claire K Creations
Oh Barbara this brings back scary memories. Scream was the first scary movie I watched (I was 12) and I couldn’t sleep in my own room for weeks! I might be able to handle a scream-cheese cake though!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
Now this is cute. I love the simplicity and the lack or orange (my least favorite color!). Bet it tastes great too.
jacquie
i’m way over due for making a cheesecake also and your version looks awesome. i was interested to see that you said it was best left over night to set up – how does that work w/ the whipped cream? it doesn’t deflate or does the cream cheese stablize it? i’m just wondering how well it lasts? not that it doesn’t look as though it would be just gobbled up but there aren’t many in the household and we shouldn’t eat it all in a seating or two.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Jacquie – the mixture does set up as it sits, so it’s easier to slice and serve. I assume the cream cheese causes it to set up. Although, if you don’t have time to let it set up, it still tastes fantastic. I know cuz I licked the bowl. 🙂
Susan
Scream cheese – LOL! Love how you decorated this delicious-looking chocolate dessert!
Donna
GOTTA love “scream cheese!”
Kim
This is such a fun recipe and I absolutely love your picture with the mask. Happy Halloween to you:)
carrian
Oh yeah buddy! Love this idea!!
Emily
Creepy and delicious…NICE!
Becky @ Project Domestication
Such a cool and smart idea. I would totally make this and my nephews would go NUTS for it!
DeniseB
You always have the most wonderful ideas and delicious recipes. I love receiving your updates..THANK YOU!!
Annamaria Bakewell Junction
Looks fantastic to me. Great idea for decoration.
Rosa
A devilish treat and great idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen
I love this idea! It’s been way too long since I’ve made a cheesecake…