Collegiettes Kitchen: Pumpkin Cheesecake

There is no greater feeling in the world than being home for Thanksgiving. The

warmth of your family and the aroma of delicious foods surround you on that very day.

With the turkey cooking in the oven and mashed potatoes being prepared, Thanksgiving

is not complete without its most traditional dessert—the pumpkin pie.

The big feast on the day of Thanksgiving is amazing, but very, very filling! By

the time dessert comes around, I push myself to finish my slice of pumpkin pie. The only

problem is that the thick and heavy texture of the pie doesn’t usually leave me coming

back for seconds…until last weekend. At an early Thanksgiving dinner, I was introduced,

for the very first time, to an alternate and much lighter version of pumpkin pie. To my

surprise, it was a combination of pumpkin pie and cheesecake! Before I knew it, I was on

my third slice of pumpkin cheesecake and still had room for more! The light and fluffy

texture of this cheesecake did not fill me up and still contained the very delicious taste

of pumpkin! This Thanksgiving, add a twist to the traditional pumpkin pie and bake the

pumpkin cheesecake instead following this simple recipe!

 

For the crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 stick melted salted butter

 

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin

3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted

butter. Press it down flat into a 9-inch circular pan. Set aside.

 

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream,

sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat it together until well combined.

Pour it into the crust you previously prepared. Spread it out evenly and place it in the

oven for 1 hour. Remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes. Cover it with

plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

 

There you have it Collegiettes! An alternate dessert just as traditional as pumpkin pie, but

one that will be calling you for more than seconds!

 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving & don’t forget the whipped cream!

 

 

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