by Sandra Merville Hart

In the fall, I love to make desserts with seasonal flavors. I had discovered this great pumpkin cheesecake several years ago, but then I forgot about it. Last weekend, I made it for two different gatherings. Both friends and family loved it!

In fact, I asked my nephew if he wanted a piece of cheesecake for another day. When he declined, his wife called in from the living room, “What are you turning down?” She wasn’t about to say no to the dessert…and I was happy to leave two pieces with them.

Ingredients

CRUST:

¾ cup finely chopped walnuts

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares)

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

FILLING:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The crust takes the longest to prepare. I chose to finely chop the walnuts and the Graham crackers on a cutting board instead of using a food processor. It took only a few minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, blend the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into the cracker crumbs and walnut before adding melted butter. Mix well.

Pour the crust into an ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Press the crust into place with your fingers on the bottom layer.

Use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar on a medium speed until smooth, which takes about a minute. Add eggs and beat on low speed until it’s blended. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Using a low speed, beat the batter until the mixture is combined, about 30 seconds.

Pour the batter onto the crust. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon on top along with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.

I typically serve this in the fall when pumpkin is readily available. Everyone gobbles up the delicious dessert whenever I serve it. They enjoy the seasonal flavors in this light, creamy cheesecake. It works well for holiday dinners.

While whipped cream is delicious on this dessert, I’ve noticed that most guests choose not to use it because it’s such a delicious, creamy cheesecake without it.

Enjoy!

Sources

Taste of Home’s Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook 2002, Remain Media Group, Inc., 2002.