Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Move over, pie.

By The Good Housekeeping Test KitchenPublished: Aug 31, 2020

1 Rating

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Mike Garten

Yields:

Total Time:

1 hr

Switch up your regular pumpkin pie recipe and try delicious, swirled pumpkin cheesecake bars instead. Not only do these creamy, ultra-rich slices make an excellent Thanksgiving dessert, but they also make a show-stopping fall dessert that we crave as soon as the temp starts to drop. After all, the season is surely about chowing down on all the pumpkin recipes you can manage before the new year, right?

How to make pumpkin cheesecake bars

First off, this recipe ditches fussy pie crust and amps up the flavor with a gingersnap crust instead. It’s a fast combo of gingersnap cookies and pecans (with a little butter and sugar) for a rich crust that is both sweet and spicy — and perfect for anything pumpkin. The easy filling features fresh pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and luscious cream cheese and comes together quickly in a food processor. Just remember to reserve some of the filling before adding the pumpkin puree — you’ll dollop it on top of the pumpkin filling to make swooshes and swirls across the surface of your masterpiece.

Dipping a fork into the final result, you’ll discover a rich, creamy dessert on top of a crisp, deeply flavorful crust. It might just be your family’s new favorite recipe starring the all-important autumn gourd ... pumpkin pie who?

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Ingredients

For crust

24 gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup pecans
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For filling

2 8-oz pkgs. cream cheese, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Step 1Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 9-in. square baking pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides.
2. Step 2Make crust: Using food processor, pulse cookies, pecans and sugar until finely ground. Add butter and pulse to combine, then press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 12 min., then transfer to wire rack and let cool.
3. Step 3Meanwhile, make filling: In clean food processor, pulse together cream cheese, sugar and eggs. Pulse in flour and salt to combine. Remove ¼ cup of mixture. Into remaining mixture, pulse pumpkin puree and pie spice to combine.
4. Step 4Pour pumpkin mixture onto cooled crust. Drop spoonfuls of remaining cream cheese batter on top of pumpkin then use a butter knife to swirl.
5. Step 5Bake until set at edges but still slightly jiggly in center, 30 to 34 min. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely in pan, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hr. To serve, using overhang, transfer to cutting board and cut into 12 rectangles.