Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
This cheesecake takes two of our favorite fall flavors--pumpkin and ginger--and transforms an ordinary cheesecake into a silky, rich dessert that is a perfect addition for any holiday table.
When you make a cheesecake, give yourself plenty of time. You need to let it chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better. This was by far the most difficult part of making this cake, because no one wanted to wait for it. But trust me -- it is worth the wait.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces gingersnap cookies
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Turbinado Sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 12 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, softened
- 1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie mix)
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Freshly grated Nutmeg, if desired, for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter the inside of a 9" spring form pan and set aside
- In a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies until they are finely crushed.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the sugar, the softened butter and the salt and pulse, just until the cookies are moistened
- Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of the spring form pan, pressing them into a smooth, even layer. Wipe any crumbs from the side of the pan.
- Bake the crust for about 10 minutes until it becomes lightly browned.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while preparing the filling.
- In a clean food processor bowl, combine the Neufchâtel cheese, pumpkin puree, Vanilla Extract and the 1/2 cup of Sugar and process about 30 seconds
- Add eggs and pulse another 10 seconds
- Add flour and Pumpkin Pie Spice and process about 30 seconds or until all ingredients are combined. Scrape the inside of the food processor with a soft spatula to remove any ingredients that have not been combined into the filling. Pulse to combine.
- When the spring form pan is cool to the touch, tightly wrap the bottom and sides of the pan in aluminum foil so that it is watertight.
- Set the pan in a large, deep skillet.
- Carefully pour the filling over the gingersnap crust. Use the spatula to smooth the filling into an even layer.
- Set the skillet in the oven and carefully pour water into the skillet about 1/2 way up the side of the pan.
- Bake the cheesecake about 55 minutes or until the filling moves only slightly in the middle.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and carefully set it on a wire rack and let the cheesecake cool in the hot water bath.
- When the pan is cool, lift it out of the water, dry the foil and remove the foil from the pan.
- Refrigerate cheesecake at least 4 hours or overnight (good luck with this step)
- Just before serving, run a table knife along the inside of the pan to separate the cheesecake from the pan.
- Loosen the latch on the pan and carefully, lift and remove the ring.
- Transfer the cheesecake with the bottom of the pan to a serving plate.
