This Christmas Crunch Cake is an easy yet impressive dessert that’s ideal for the holiday season. Part creamy cheesecake, part frosty frozen dessert, this festive treat is sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
Add some delicious cheer to your holiday parties with this peppermint Christmas crunch cake. This treat gets its name from the crunchy layer of vanilla wafers and salty pretzels on the top and bottom of the cake, but the creamy filling is the real star. Smooth and delicious with the perfect balance of rich cream cheese and peppermint flavor, this decadent treat will make any occasion feel special. Add some festive sprinkles and you’ve got the recipe for a holiday hit.
With just a handful of simple ingredients, this cake is easy to make and turns out perfect every time. But the best part about this recipe is that you can whip it up in no time and keep it in the freezer all season long, so you always have an impressive holiday dessert at your fingertips! Put this delicious cake on your Christmas list this year and it’s sure to become one of your favorite new recipes.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- The festive colors and peppermint flavor make this Christmas crunch recipe a perfect dessert for the holidays. It’s delicious with a cup of hot chocolate!
- This rich and creamy cake is an easy treat that’s sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
- Ice cream lovers will go crazy for this frozen cake that looks like a fancy ice cream sandwich.
- It doesn’t require any complicated ingredients and there’s no baking needed to create this tasty treat.
- You can change the sprinkles and flavor to customize this recipe for different holidays and special occasions
Ingredients
- Vanilla wafers
- Pretzel twists
- Melted butter
- Cream cheese, softened
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla
- Peppermint extract
- Whipped topping
- Red and green sprinkles
How to Make Christmas Crunch Cake
Step One: Prepare the Crust
- Line a 9 x 9 baking dish with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or parchment paper, or spray with nonstick baking spray.
- Crush the cookies and pretzels in a food processor. (Meanwhile, melt butter so it’s ready at the same time.)
- Stir the cookie/pretzel crumbs and the melted butter together. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Step Two: Make the Filling
- Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, vanilla, peppermint, and sweetened condensed milk, in a large bowl until well combined.
- Stir in the whipped topping.
- Gently stir in 1 tablespoon of the Christmas sprinkles
Step Three: Assemble and Serve
- Pour the cream cheese mixture in an even layer over the crust, then top with the remaining crumb mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles over the top of the cake, pressing down gently.
- Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight before cutting into small pieces.
Tips and Suggestions
- For best results, let the cake sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to thaw slightly before cutting.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before making the filling. This is the best way to ensure that it blends smoothly with no lumps.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the cookies and pretzels in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
- You can place the crust in the freezer while you’re making the filling. This will help it to set.
Variations
- You can add more sprinkles if you like, or add some crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips (or drizzle with melted white chocolate).
- Use butter cookies or golden Oreos in place of the vanilla wafers.
- You can use crushed granola bars in place of the cookies and pretzels.
How Do I Store Christmas Crunch Cake?
Any leftovers should be kept in the freezer. Store them tightly covered or in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Can I Make this in a Different Flavor?
Sure – feel free to swap the peppermint extract for your favorite flavor. (Almond extract is one of our favorites.) You can also change up the sprinkle colors for any holiday or special occasion.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Grinch Pretzel Bites
- Red Velvet Krispie Treats
- Red Velvet Fudge
- Eggnog Bread
- Hidden Kiss Cookies
- Christmas Tree Meringues
- Christmas Crack
Christmas Crunch Cake
Equipment
- 1 9 x 9 pan
Ingredients
- 50 vanilla wafers
- 1/2 cup pretzel twists
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 8 ounces whipped topping 1 container, like Cool Whip
- 2 Tablespoons Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 9 baking dish with foil, plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Using a food processor crush the cookies and pretzels.
- Combine the cookie crumbs with the butter.
- Press half the crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.
- In medium-sized bowl, using an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and peppermint until well combined.
- Fold in the whipped topping.
- Gently stir in 1 Tablespoon of the Christmas sprinkles.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust in the pan.
- Top with the remaining crumb mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles all over the top pressing down gently.
- Cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve let the cake sit for 10 minutes to thaw slightly.
- Remove the cake from the pan and slice.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
RB says
Does this have to be frozen?
Alicia says
We haven’t tried it without freezing it.