Andes Cheesecake Supreme

(Just keepin' it real. No fancy photography here. It's messy and it's good!)
I will post this for Jill, our resident Celiac, which means she can't eat anything with gluten (wheat) or she will suffer immense intestinal consequences.
She made this cheesecake for our New Years Eve par-tay and it was a huge hit, even for non-celiacs. The only real change from a regular recipe would be the cookies used in the crust. If you are making it gluten-free, you must substitute gluten-free cookies for regular ones. The recipe comes from the Delightfully Gluten Free blog.

Andes Cheesecake Supreme

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (use gluten-free Mi-Del chocolate mint sandwich cookies for extra minty goodness)
3 tablespoons sugar (this is unnecessary if you use the Mi-Del cookies, as they are so sweet)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 package (4.67 oz.) Andes® Crème de Menthe Thins chopped (28 candies) or 1 cup Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
Andes® Crème de Menthe Thins (28 candies)
3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Crust: Mix crumbs and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Add butter; mix well. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325° F, 10 minutes.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix on low speed just until well blended. Stir in 1 cup Andes Baking Chips or 1 package of chopped Andes Candies (28 pieces); pour into crust.

Bake at 325° F, 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife between rim of pan and cheesecake. Cool to room temperature.

Topping: Set aside 10-12 candy pieces, for decorating top of cake. Place remaining Andes Candies and whipping cream in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 45 seconds. Stir until candies are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour over cheesecake, spreading to cover surface and drizzle down sides of cheesecake. Decorate with reserved Andes Candies.

Set: Refrigerate cheesecake 3 hours or until serving time.

Yield approx.: 12 servings.