Pumpkin Spice Gingersnap Cheesecake

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone 😀

Its been about one year since I began Sweet. Raw. Free, so yippee to it being a year of delicious desserts and enticing entrees (at least, I hope so), provided for both your tasting and viewing pleasures.  I have certainly reveled in cooking, baking, and photographing up a storm in hopes that others will enjoy the fruits of my creativity and passion.

Additionally, also close to one year ago I posted a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake, as both cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite, most loved desserts, and pumpkin being an ever adored ingredient of mine (for both sweet and savory things).

That pumpkin cheesecake from a year past was pretty good.  The spices in it were especially awesome.  However, it wasn’t sweet enough.  I knew this back when I made it (and totally spaced on altering the recipe to reflect such!), and recently a close family friend reflected a similar sentiment, reminding me of this.  So with that said, I set out to create a new and improved version of my pumpkin cheesecake.  With Thanksgiving seeming like a fitting time for such a venture.  Here is the result: the new and improved Pumpkin Spice Gingersnap Cheesecake.

This one does have the addition of a bit of coconut/palm sugar.  However, I imagine you could omit that and instead just use honey.  The taste and texture would still most certainly be excellent.

Ingredients

16-18 ounces of cream cheese (meaning, doesn’t have to be exact.  Just in this ballpark)

8 ounces of mascarpone

1/3 cup of honey

1/2 cup of coconut/palm sugar (*or, if omitting, you could just go for 3/4 cup of honey total in this recipe and nix the coconut sugar)

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons of cinnamon (or, a bit more if you love spices like I do)

1.5 teaspoon of ginger

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

4 eggs

For the crust

1 package of gingersnap cookies, smashed to pieces

A couple tablespoons of melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Smash the gingersnaps so they resemble a ground up crumble.  You could use a food processor for this.  Myself, I like to dump them into a plastic bag and pound on it.  Way more fun 😉
3. Pour the crushed gingersnaps into your spring foam pan.  Drizzle in the tablespoons of melted butter.  Stir to combine.
4. Pop pan with the crust in it into the heated oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, beat cheeses, honey, and if using it the coconut sugar, that too in a large bowl until well blended using an electric hand mixed on medium speed.
6. Stir in canned pumpkin, spices and vanilla.  Mix well.
7. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each one until just blended.
8. Pour the completed pumpkin cheesecake mixture over finished (and ideally slightly cooled) crust. (Side note: you also do not need a crust.  I have made this without one, just pouring it directly into a cake pan.  Comes out just as fantastic).
9. Bake for 45 minutes or until center is almost set. The sides may have a few cracks in them and will look solid.  The middle should no longer like liquid.  It will still appear slightly wobbly, but more solid.
10. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (though overnight also works) before eating or serving.

Serve plain, as it tastes fantastic on its own, or topped with a flourish of whipped cream if you so desire.  Enjoy.  And Happy Thanksgiving!