Pumpkin Cheesecake
Description
Like many families, our Thanksgiving holiday is filled with ritual and custom. We tend to prepare the same dishes, often served in a bowl or on a plate that is a sentimental favorite - Grandma's gravy boat, my Mom's crystal bowl for the cranberries.
Ingredients
- 1 container/box gingersnaps (i like trader joe's triple gingersnaps)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 3 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 12 small chunks of crystallized ginger
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil.
- Using a food processor, pulse cookies into crumbs. You will need about 4 cups of cookies to produce the 2 cups of crumbs needed.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the crumbs, melted butter and sugar.
- Press mixture into bottom of foil-wrapped pan. Don't worry about trying to press the mixture up the sides of the pan.
- Bake until crust darkens slightly, 5-10 minutes maximum. Remove from oven but do not turn off the oven.
- Using a mixer, blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then the pumpkin, vanilla and spices.Mix until smooth, using a hand spatula to finish, insuring that ingredients are well incorporated.
- Place the pan with the crust on a sheet pan. Carefully pour filling on top of the crust.
- Bake cheesecake 60-65 minutes until center is cooked and the edges are somewhat cracked.
- Chill uncovered until cold, about 4 hours.
- Cut around the sides of the cake and remove pan sides. Decorate top of cheesecake with crystallized ginger. Serve.
