Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Thank my lil’ pumpkin. (Okay, so she’s 24 years old.)
Last weekend ensued ‘Family Fall Fun Day’ at my house. We celebrated in all-about-autumn style with flannel shirts, a hayride, great food, a not-so-spooky haunted house, apple cider, pumpkin carving, a blazing bonfire… and this uh-may-zing dessert made by my daughter, Courtney.
Between this dessert and my sister’s cobbler (I’ll share that recipe soon!), my sweet-lovin’ taste buds happy-danced like a monster mash marathon fueled by sugar-overload.
Don’cha’ love fall?
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Filling:
- 4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup (8 oz) canned pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Garnish:
whipped cream
pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 300°F.
- Line a 13X9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch of paper hanging on the sides.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter.
- Press the crust on the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside while making the filling.
- In the mixing bowl of your stand-up mixer , add the cream cheese and sugar. With the paddle attachment, beat on low speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended.
- Spoon half of the mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
- Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to the remaining cream cheese mixture.
- With a wire whisk stir until smooth. Carefully, spoon over mixture in pan.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until just set. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar, allowing the cheesecake to slowly cool for 1 hour.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting into bars.
- Top each bar with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
