Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees and double wrapping the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan with foil.
Begin your mint cheesecake by adding your chocolate sandwich cookies to a food processor and pulse until pulverized. If you do not have a food processor, no worries, simply add them to a large zip top bag, push out the extra air and then seal up the bag. Gently beat the cookies with something heavy like a pan or a rolling pin until they are reduced to crumbs.
Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter together in a mixing bowl and then pour the cookie mixture into a springform pan lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.
Using your fingers or a spoon, firmly press the cookies evenly on the bottom and sides of the baking pan to make your crust. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese until creamy and then add in sugar and mix well. One by one, add in eggs and beat until each is incorporated before adding in the next one. Add in sour cream, salt and mint extract and continue mixing until you have a creamy filling.
Transfer 1/3 cup of cheesecake filling evenly into a separate bowl and add green food coloring to the small portion. Mix the food coloring in to combine.
Pour the white cheesecake filling on top of the cookie crust crust and smooth until even. Using a spoon, pour lines of green cheesecake filling down the length of the cheesecake. Swirl the colors into the cheesecake filing using the back of knife (or a chopstick!) to create a beautiful swirl pattern. The more swirls, the better..
Bring a kettle of water to boil on the stove or heat a large glass measuring cup in the microwave until the water is boiling.Grab a large baking pan or roasting pan, one big enough to accommodate the cheesecake pan, and move it to the middle rack of your preheated oven.Place the springform cheesecake pan in the baking/roasting water bath pan.Carefully pour the boiling water into the water bath pan, pouring the water to reach about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake in oven for 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) or until center is no longer wobbly. When baking time is done, turn off oven, open oven door and let your cheesecake sit for one hour in the open oven.
After the hour, carefully remove the cheesecake from the oven, remove the foil bottom and move the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a thin-bladed knife around the inside edge of the cheesecake cake to make sure it’s not sticking to the sides of the pan. Let the mint cheesecake cool completely to room temperature on the rack before moving to the fridge to chill.
Once your mint cheesecake has cooled, melt the chocolate chips and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Pour topping over the cheesecake. Add chopped mint chocolates for garnish and return to refrigerator to chill.
