Mom's Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crus

As requested, this is my mom's EASY recipe for our Thanksgiving Day cheesecake.

Crust
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs, plus extra for sprinkling
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Cheesecake
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t each: ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice
pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of 9" springform pan with foil. Set aside.

Crust:
Mix crumbs, butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in pecans. Press mixture onto the bottom and up 2" on the sides of the pan.

Bake crust til slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Filling:
With an electric mixer on medium, blend cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl til smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and spices. Mix til smooth, scraping down sides of bowl frequently with a rubber spatula. Pour filling onto crust.

Bake cheesecake til center is almost set, about 1 hour. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Chill uncovered til cold, at least 4 hours.

With a knife, cut around pan sides; remove sides. Arrange pecan halves along edge.

Sprinkle with remaining gingersnap crumbs, cut and serve.


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