Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust

Happy Thanksgiving! Yesterday my day was full of baking for today, otherwise this post would of been up last night.  But once I got home from my parents house I was exhausted and didn't have it in me to write this up.  So now it's Thanksgiving morning and here I am in my pjs typing away.  Still need a dessert?  I've got a great one for you!  This smelled amazing while in the oven yesterday, and it was a request from a family friend who is joining us today (she's like family so I loved that she had a request for me). 

Away I went to find a good recipe for this when she couldn't find her version.  I knew it had a gingersnap crust and had maple syrup in it.  I searched and searched and finally found one that was easy and had the ingredients in it that she had told me.  This was the first dessert I made yesterday (my Dad's Pecan Pie was second), so I was so happy to see that this was so easy.  I didn't have to bake the crust and just had to bake it all off in one shot.  Awesome.  Once the crust was nicely packed in the springform pan, away I went on the filling.  Minutes later, the whole thing was going in the oven.  It does take 90 minutes in the oven, so I was happy I had a lot of other things to do while it was baking, and that my parents have 2 ovens in their kitchen.  The aromas that came from the oven while it was baking was almost intoxicating.  It quickly filled the whole house and it truly felt like fall here (it's been unseasonably warm here for this time of year).  Once it was all done - let it cool for 30 minutes and then let it chill in the fridge! How easy is that?!  I will absolutely be making this one again. 



fresh out of the oven - it does deflate
a little once cooled so don't worry



  Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

makes 1 cake

Crust:

3 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs

3 tbsp brown sugar

6 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

24 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9" springform pan.
2. Using a fork, combine gingersnaps, brown sugar and melted butter.  Press mixture onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the pan to form the crust.
3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the pumpkin.  Mix in the cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust.  Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is set.  Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then cover and chill.