Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes With Gingersnap Crusts

What pies? Satisfy those sweet-tooth cravings by indulging in  Life Made Simple’s pumpkin cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 package (8 oz) Original Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature
• ½ c. pumpkin puree
• ¼ c. + 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. heavy cream
• ¼ tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or allspice)
• ¹⁄₈ tsp. nutmeg

For the crust:

• 8 gingersnap cookies
• 1  graham cracker
• 1½  tbsp. melted butter
• 1½ tsp. brown sugar
• ¼ c. pecans
• pinch of salt

For the whipped cream:

• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• Seeds from ¼ a vanilla bean
• Pumpkin pie spice for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind all ingredients for crust except for the melted butter. The mixture should resemble slightly coarse crumbs. Remove mixture and pour melted butter over. Mix until crumbs are wet. Press into the bottom of each hole. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
3. While crust is baking, prepare filling, beating together cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Add spices, vanilla, heavy cream, and egg. Mix until just combined.
4. Pour filling over each crust, dividing evenly. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing cheesecakes (yes, your cheesecakes will sink a little–this is normal!).
5. Remove cheesecakes from pan using the bottom of a wooden spoon. Using a butter knife, remove metal bottoms and place cheesecakes in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
6. While cheesecakes are cooling, prepare vanilla bean whipped cream by fitting a chilled mixing bowl into your stand mixer. Add heavy cream, sugar, and scraped vanilla bean seeds. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks begin to form. Return to refrigerator until cheesecakes are ready to be served.
7. To assemble, using a mesh sieve, lightly dust cheesecakes with pumpkin pie spice before or after topping with a swirl of whipped cream.

Hungry? We’ve got more pumpkin and holiday recipes right here.