*TiPsY's* SwEeT* sPoT*: November 2010

I was racking my brain this year! What to make! I made soo many pumpkin desserts and goodies last year and although they were all delicious, I love to try new things. My bright idea was a pumpkin cheesecake with a gingerbread crust. I thought I would google it for inspiration and soon found out that everyone and their mother and mother's mother had already made one. Oh well! It is new to me and for a brief moment, I thought I was about to invent something that nobody else had heard of!

Here we go!

Crust:
2 cups crushed gingersnaps (Trader Joe's has the best ones with big chunks of real ginger..can't beat it!)
1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
1/4 c. melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used a full teaspoon)
1/4 c. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper and lots of pam...or use a cupcake pan with cupcake liners with pam.

Blend cookies, sugar, cinnamon in the food processor until finely ground. Add pecans and butter.
Bake 10 mins. until firm.

Filling:
1/2 c. pumpkin
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon ( I used a full tsp.)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I used a full tsp.)
1/4 tsp. cloves (I didn't have any, so I used a 1/4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice which has all that spicy goodness in it)
3 8ox. packages of cream cheese
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Stir together the pumpkin, spices, and flour. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese until it is nice and smooth. Have a glass of spicy Pinot Noir. It pairs well with the spices of this dessert.
Add sugar & vanilla until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined after each addition.

Then stir 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture into the pumpkin goodness.