One of my favorite treats I have not been able to get enough of since childhood is pumpkin pie. It reminds me of my dad. I could sit and eat a whole pie with that wonderful man. And now, my son loves it, which makes it even more wonderful.

Every holiday gathering I go to it seems as though someone has always put dibs on making the pumpkin pie, so I save my pumpkin pie making for later and bring this pumpkin cheesecake to Thanksgiving Dinner. (Who doesn’t love having an entire pumpkin pie with a fresh buttery crust to eat by themselves anyways.)

I love topping this pie with cinnamon whipped cream, but it is also great with caramel sauce on top.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Course cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Crust:

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs about a 14-oz package of cookies
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the Cheesecake:

32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin about a 15-oz can
4 eggs at room temperature
2½ tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

For the Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9-inch springform pan with heavy duty foil.
Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for a water bath.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Beat together the cream cheese and the sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and mix on low until completely incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice and mix on low to incorporate.
Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan into a larger pan (a roasting pan is great for this) and pour the boiling water into the larger pan until it is about halfway up the springform pan.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the middle still jiggles a little.
Keeping the oven door closed, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, carefully remove it from the water bath, remove the foil and place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool completely, about an additional 2 hours. Once completely cool, refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
Cover any leftover cheesecake with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Wrapped, the cheesecake can be frozen for up to 2 months.

For the Whipped Cream:

Whip cream, powdered sugar and cinnamon until stiff peaks form.
Top cheesecake and continue to chill, or serve!

Recipe altered from Brown Eyed Baker

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-Tam | Food Apparel

I'm Tammy and I love to be in the kitchen! I'm married and have three little tagalongs who love to help out with the food prep. My secret foodie dream is to open a bakery. Want to know more about me? Go here for a little Q&A.