As demonstrated on NBC WCNC Charlotte Today
It was National Pumpkin Day! And, what better way to celebrate with, yet, another ‘sweet’ treat this week, as we roll into Halloween only days away!
As a personal chef, tis’ the season for pumpkin, sweets, cheesecakes and candy. Well, you know… This is a recipe that you can transform into two recipes, if you like – love those kind of recipes! It’s a pumpkin cheesecake recipe that can be prepared with or without a topping. It can also be prepared into cupcakes or bars. I like the sour cream topping idea if you would like to create a ‘spider web’ to decorate the top. The pumpkin cheesecake bar is amazing, as well with a ‘crumble’ topping. Great for a crowd if you are especially busy and easy to prepare.
For the VIDEO Click HERE
What you will need for this recipe:
- Moravian or Gingersnap Cookies (for crumbs)
- Light Brown Sugar
- Sweet Cream Butter
- Pecans
- Mascarpone Cheese
- Sugar
- Canned Pumpkin
- Eggs
- Ground Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Vanilla Extract
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes
Crust:
1 cup of Moravian Cookie Crumbs (or Gingersnap Cookie Crumbs)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sweet cream butter, melted
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Filling:
8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
½ cup sugar
½ cup pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Combine crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. In a cupcake pan, line each cup with a cupcake liner and add 1 heaping teaspoon of the crumb mixture and firmly press into the bottom of each cup, forming the crust. Bake for approximately 5-7 minutes. Cool slightly.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake ‘low and slow’. Meanwhile, to prepare the filling, combine mascarpone, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla in a large mixer bowl and blend until smooth. Pour over baked crust. Bake for an additional 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees, depending on your oven, until set and done.
Remove from oven, combine topping ingredients, and spoon enough to cover the top of the cupcake (approximately 1 tablespoon). Bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Refrigerate. Decorate, if you wish. Makes approximately one dozen.
Note: To make cheesecake bars, instead of cupcakes, combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in a medium bowl, cut in butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. Set aside ¾ cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into bottom of an 8 x 8 x 1-1/2-inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool. (omit topping) Cut into bars after cooled and refrigerated.