Pumpkin cheesecake recipe

I decided to combine a couple of my favorite desserts this Thanksgiving and was pleasantly surprised with the results of my first pumpkin cheesecake (or cheesecake for that matter)  Though the prospect of making a cheesecake may sound daunting it is actually pretty simple to make.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 graham cracker crust (homemade or store bought)

• 16 oz. of crème cheese (2 – 8 oz. packages)

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1.5 cup of pumpkin puree (or one can of store bought pumpkin)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger

• 2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees
2. Beat cream cheese until it appears fluffy
3. Add sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and and beat until well combined
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy
5. Place empty graham cracker crust to a cookie sheet and place in oven with rack pulled out. Fill with mixture until full and carefully push rack (and cheesecake) into the oven.  You can attempt this pour and move away from the oven but unless your day job is working on a bomb squad most likely this will lead to some filling on the floor and yourself.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes keeping a careful eye on the edges if you start to see some browning your cheesecake is ready to be pulled out.
7. Place cheesecake on a cooling rack for 1-2 hours.  Though if you are in a hurry you can speed up the cooling by placing your cheesecake in the refrigerator after 10-15 minutes though you significantly increase the chance of causing a ugly split down the middle of your nice cheesecake.
8. After cooling for 1-2 hours cool overnight(if you can wait that long)