Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

I use all organic full-fat ingredients in this recipe, but there are ways to make the calories/fat less if you would like:  Use reduced fat graham crackers, light cream cheese & fat free cool whip.  You can also skip the homemade crust and opt for a premade graham cracker crust.

Crust
3 oz graham crackers, about 5 1/2 sheets  
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar  
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling
7 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (I use canned)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
8 oz whip cream, thawed (Cool Whip if you like)

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place graham crackers and brown sugar in a food processor; process into crumbs (or smash into crumbs in a sealed plastic food bag with a rolling pin). Spoon crumbs into a small bowl; add melted butter and combine with fingers into a coarse meal. Distribute crumbs evenly on bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Chill for 30 minutes before baking. Bake until crust starts to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and let cool.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add all but about a cup of the whip cream and whip until smooth. Spoon mixture into pie crust and top with remaining whip cream. Chill for a few hours, until firm.

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