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Monday, October 29, 2012

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Anyone else tired of everything pumpkin yet?


Yea, me neither.

I’m a HUGE fan of cheesecake, but when I was a kid I thought the idea was kind of gross. Cheese + cake? Ewww.... but then I actually tried some and I fell in love.

This particular recipe I’ve been tinkering with for several years. The first time I made it was the same Thanksgiving I made the Smoked Gouda and Sausage stuffed Mushrooms. I’m pretty sure I’ve made it every holiday season since then, and each time I’ve adjusted it a little bit to get the balance just right.

After six years, I’m pretty sure I've gotten it just where I want it. The cheesecake is smooth and silky, and the flavor hits all the pumpkin pie notes you’d expect and could possible want. It makes me happy just thinking about it.


Pumpkin Cheesecake
*Serves 6-8

Ingredients:


Crust:
-          1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers
-          5 Tbl butter, melted
-          1 Tbl sugar

Filling:
-          3 packages of 8oz cream cheese, softened
-          1 tsp vanilla extract
-          1 cup sugar
-          1 ¼ cups canned pure pumpkin
-          3 large eggs
-          1 tsp cinnamon
-          ¼ tsp nutmeg
-          ¼ tsp allspice

* 10” or 9” springform pan

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter. Mix together until cracker crumbs absorb the butter and are moist. Press into the bottom of the springform pan and up the sides about ¾ the way up. Bake for 6-8 minutes and then set aside.

2 – In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Next add pumpkin and spices and mix well. Lastly, add eggs and mix slowly until just fully incorporated. Do not over beat once you add the eggs.

3- Pour filling into crust and bake for 40-55 minutes or center still slightly jiggles. Remove from oven and let come to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled. About 4-5 hours.

4- Once cheesecake is fully chilled run knife around edge to loosen, then remove springform pan and serve.

Happy Pumpkin Season!


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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