These pumpkin cheesecake bars with gingersnap crust are the perfect easy to make thanksgiving dessert that doesn't require as much work or time as a large cheesecake, but with all the same perfect taste!
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST
One of my favorite ways to get more pumpkin desserts on the table for Thanksgiving without more pumpkin pies is to make these simple cheesecake bars. They are so easy and quick to make and can be cut into small or large squares depending on how many you need to serve. And the best part is you don't need to have a spring form pan to make them. Any square or round pan will work perfectly!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Gingersnap Cookie Crumbs
- Sugar
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Brown Sugar
- Pumpkin Puree
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Eggs
STEP BY STEP TO MAKE CHEESECAKE BARS
Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray and line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, allowing some to hang over the edge.
MAKE THE CRUST: Place gingersnap cookies in a food processor and blend until no cookie chunks are left. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined.
Pour into the bottom of your baking pan and press down to create a firm and even crust layer. Set aside.
MAKE THE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE FILLING: In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until soft. Then beat in the sugar mixture until completely smooth.
Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low until combined.
Add flour and spices and mix again. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and then mix in last. Make sure not to over mix, or your cheesecake might crack on the top.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until there is just a slight wiggle in the middle of the cheesecake.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, which should take a few hours. Cover the pan, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, slice into desired size of squares and serve with whipped cream.
TIPS FOR MAKING PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS
- Make sure all the ingredients are room temperature before getting started
- Use pure pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling
- Use full fat cream cheese and sour cream
- Be careful not to over mix the cheesecake
HOW TO STORE CHEESECAKE
Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving, or preferably overnight. And always store in the fridge when not eating.
Cheesecake bars also freeze well. To freeze, cool the cheesecake bars fully. Place the cheesecake (sliced or whole) in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge before serving.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN CHEESECAKE IS DONE
The center of the cheesecake should wiggle a bit when you gently shake the pan. The top will jiggle as a whole and the center two inches will look soft, and even a slightly different color. Not to worry, the center of the cheesecake will continue to set up as it cools.
OTHER PUMPKIN DESSERTS TO TRY:
PUMPKIN BARS WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
THE EASIEST PUMPKIN BREAD OR MUFFINS
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 2 cups (200 g) gingersnap cookie crumbs About 35-40 cookies
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoon butter melted and cooled
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- 16 oz (453.59 g) cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoon sour cream room temp
- 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) vanilla
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cloves
- 2 large eggs room temp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray and line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, allowing some to hang over the edge.
To Make the Crust
- Place gingersnap cookies in a food processor and blend until no cookie chunks are left. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined.
- Pour into the bottom of your baking pan and press down to create a firm and even crust layer. Set aside.
To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
- In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until soft. Then beat in the sugar mixture until completely smooth.
- Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low until combined.
- Add flour and spices and mix again. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and then mix in last. Make sure not to over mix, or your cheesecake might crack on the top.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until there is just a slight wiggle in the middle of the cheesecake.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, which should take a few hours. Cover the pan, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, slice into desired size of squares and serve with whipped cream.
Hope
Absolutely Delicious and EASY!!!!
brooke
Thank you so much Hope!!
R. Court Huish
The PERFECT Thanksgiving treat! Remarkably Delicious!!
Debbie
Should I double the recipe for a 9x13 inch pan? If so, how long should I bake it?
brooke
Yes, a 9x13 will be perfect. As for the time I would say you'll need to tack a little bit on, but I haven't done them to know exact. I would set the timer for 45 minutes and then keep your eye on them after that. You are watching for a slight joggle in the middle, but not too much.
Jess
I bake a lot, and this was a fantastic combo of easy to make and effusively praised. I cut some pieces in half and everyone who had a half slice went back for the other half and I got two requests to send along the recipe!
Cat
Despite my minor difficulties, I'm still giving this recipe 5 stars. They're super easy to make, and they taste sooooo good (though the 15 min prep time is a little short for most bakers unless they're making on a regular basis). These were a big hit at a retirement party I attended.
I, too, made a double batch and used a 9x13 pan. I used a water bath on the bottom shelf. Baking time was a few minutes longer and I only had one small crack. BUT my bars were taller as surface area of a 9x13 is smaller than 2 8x8 pans (pro tip: the additional height made it easy to set inside a flattened cupcake wrapper for individual servings at the party).
Here's where I ran into problems: I hoped to use the dental floss cutting method for clean cuts through the cheesecake but ran into a problem: My crust carmelized. It didn't impact the taste, I was unable to pop the dessert out of the pan to cut. So I cut (or rather chiseled) off the edges around the pan and (parchment didn't stick to the cake - yay!) and put some serious muscle using both a professional 3 inch wide metal spatula and a 9 inch butcher knife. I needed both to crack this crust. My metal spatulas have never let me down before but they were no match for this crust. I used Franz cookies (might be a local brand) that did not have sugar on the top. The stats didn't seem too high in sugar but I wondered if you'd recommend cutting the sugar in the crust to see if that solves the problem--your thoughts? Or, perhaps you can recommend a gingersnap cookie recipe? What are your thoughts about baking a giant pan cookie and using that as the cookie crust (or would that be too porous and soak up too much of the cheesecake)?
But thank you for such a delicious & easy recipe. It was a big hit.
Lauren
These are heaven! The crust is insanely good- I used the triple ginger snaps from Trader Joe’s.