These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the perfect fusion of creamy baked cheesecake and spiced pumpkin pie filling on a buttery gingersnap crust.
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Thanksgiving is this weekend here in Canada. If you haven't yet decided on what to serve for dessert, might I suggest these very seasonally appropriate cheesecake bars? They are cheesecakey enough for the pumpkin pie haters and have enough real pumpkin and spice flavour for the pumpkin-obsessed! The gingersnap crust totally seals the deal, though. Made with crushed gingersnap cookies and melted butter, this crust is a little more special than your regular graham cracker cheesecake crust and goes so wonderfully with the flavours of the cheesecake.
These bars are extra delicious served with whipped cream on top, of course! Be sure to make these bars earlier in the day to ensure adequate time for them to cool down after baking and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours for the best texture and flavour.
Here are some more great Thanksgiving dessert ideas!
- Best Apple Pie -- As the name suggests, this is truly the best apple pie I have ever eaten! Don't believe me? Just make it and see!
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting -- These cupcakes are incredibly moist and flavourful and the salted caramel frosting is delightful!
- Fudge Brownie Pecan Pie -- When you can't decide between pie or brownies, this pie is the best of both worlds!!
- Sticky Caramel Apple Cake -- Spiced apple cake with a sticky caramel sauce on top; SO good!
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 9x9-inch baking pan
- aluminum foil or parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
- whisk
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs*
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake Batter:
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil (or parchment paper), leaving the foil to hang over the sides of the pan.
- Stir together the gingersnap crumbs and melted butter. Firmly press in an even layer into the foil-lined baking pan to form a crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake batter.
- In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and brown sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, flour, sour cream, and salt until fully incorporated. Add this pumpkin mixture to the whipped cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed just until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the pan over the pre-baked crust (it's fine if the crust is still warm) and smooth out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until the filling is mostly set but still a little jiggly in the center. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating until fully chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight is best.
- To Serve: Lift out of the pan using the overhanging foil as handles. Remove the foil and transfer to a cutting board before slicing with a sharp knife, wiping the knife between each cut for clean edges. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
WITH LOVE,
Naomi ♡
Hello fellow Canadian. Do you think I could use 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese + 8 ounces COTTAGE CHEESE (mine is 4% - the highest fat I could get) for the 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese that you use? Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving, Monika! I have never tried using cottage cheese as a cream cheese substitute, but I think it could work. You will probably need to blend the cottage cheese before adding it to the recipe to avoid a lumpy texture. Please let me know if you try it!
Thanks for replying! Yes, of course I would blend the cottage cheese to get a smooth consistency. I just fear it won't set up because cottage cheese has more liquid than cream cheese. What do you think?
Also - how many GRAMS of cookies are used for the crust, i.e. how much is 1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs* in GRAMS?
Thanks!
Hi Monika,
I think the liquid would be fine because the curds in cottage cheese are dry but once blended it would have a nice texture. Again, I haven’t tried this but I’m pretty sure it would work!
1 1/2 cups of ginger snap crumbs is about 150 grams.
Let me know how it goes!
Naomi