Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheesecake
*** A few friends groaned when they saw the directions for heating the pumpkin & tempering the eggs. I reworked this to make it easier for you all! The texture will be slightly different, but the taste just as great! Also added in directions for a ginger snap crust, if you’d like that instead.***
Cheesecake has been my son’s favorite for years. In fact, it’s been his choice for birthday cake since he was a little guy.
When it comes to pie, pumpkin is his first preference. Naturally, I had to combine his two favorites to create a pumpkin cheesecake. This recipe has gone through several tweaks over the years to what you see here. Absolutely delicious!
And you WILL be grabbing your reusable bags when you head to the store for these ingredients, won’t you!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 package graham crackers crushed (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
OR
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups crushed boxed ginger snap cookies (about 28 depending on the brand)
Mix and press into large spring form pan or a 9″x13″ pan lined with foil. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool.
Filling
3 8-ounce bars of cream cheese, softened at room temp
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 3/4 cups)
4 large eggs
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Mix in the spices, and then beat in the pumpkin puree. Add eggs one at a time, beating in each thoroughly.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly. (If using a spring form pan, wrap the pan with foil and place pan into a larger pan with an inch of water during baking to keep the crust from cracking.) Bake at 350 degrees for 55 -60 minutes.
Topping
1 16-ounce sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix all together and pour on top of cheesecake when it comes out of the oven. Bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Overnight is even better. Garnish with pecans before serving, if you wish.
Enjoy!
* If you purchased the 29-ounce can of pumpkin puree you’ll have some left over. You may want to try my Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Foot Scrub!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
