Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely ground ginger cookies, store bought or homemade
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Cheesecake:

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
1 pound low-fat plain cream cheese, room temperature
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pecan halves for decorating top of cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350?F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan with either non-stick cooking spray or butter.

2. For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, ginger cookie crumbs, finely chopped pecan pieces, granulated sugar, and melted butter or margarine. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator while you make the cheesecake filling.

3. For Cheesecake: Place the cream cheese into the blender and mix until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the brown sugar and spices, and beat until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well (about 30 seconds) for each addition. Use a spatula to scrape any ingredient that didn't get combined off the sides of the blender. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix well.

4. Pour the pumpkin filling over the chilled ginger crust and place spring form pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any drips. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with pecan halves. Place a cake pan filled half full with hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven to add humidity to the air inside the oven and keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350?F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325?F and bake the cheesecake for another 10-20 minutes until the edges are puffed but the center is still slightly jiggly when the pan is shaken.

5. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the spring form pan by gently running a knife around the inside of the pan. Set the cake back on the wire rack (free of the sides of the spring form pan), and cover loosely with aluminum foil. The foil will allow the cheesecake to cool slowly. Once the cake is completely cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours, or overnight, prior to serving.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Dessert Tips and Ideas

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here and we know you are busy concentrating on the most important part of the meal - the dessert! When your family is falling into their turkey comas, revive them with a fantastic pumpkin dessert.

Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas

You cannot go wrong with serving a traditional pumpkin pie. This Thanksgiving dessert has been making families happy for a number of years, and is sure to be a favorite for your family and friends.

The best way to surprise your loved ones after the Thanksgiving meal is by putting a new twist on a traditional dessert. Serving a pumpkin cheesecake is a great way to do that. The spicy pumpkin flavor is a perfect complement to the rich cheesecake and sweet graham cracker crust. Serve your pumpkin cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream, and your guests will be wowed!

Pumpkin Dessert Tips for Dieters

The average slice of pumpkin pie has about 320 calories. When you are trying to watch your waistline, you need to save every calorie you can. The best way to make your Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake healthier is to make a low-fat version. Substitute low-fat cream cheese for the full-fat version, use reduced fat vanilla wafers and leave the whipped cream in the can! These easy steps are sure to save you at least 100 calories per serving.

You can knock even more calories off of your dessert while still enjoying the full flavor that comes with the less healthy options. Choose a snack-sized pumpkin cheesecake pack for your holiday gathering. These cheesecakes are small and come in packs of 12. Your guests will love these tiny sweet treats! They taste great and - even better - they are guilt-free.

The snack-sized pumpkin cheesecakes are even better if you have a small gathering. Your cheesecake will be able to spend up to five months in the freezer without losing its flavor. You and your loved ones can defrost just a few small cheesecakes for Thanksgiving and savor the rest for months to come.

More Thanksgiving Pumpkin Dessert Ideas

If you want to be very traditional in your Thanksgiving feast, consider serving the pumpkin dish the Pilgrims likely ate at the first Thanksgiving. The first pumpkin dessert was likely cooked in its shell. The entire pumpkin was heated over hot embers and seasoned with thyme and rosemary. This first pumpkin dessert was likely seasoned with honey or maple and moistened with milk. While it may not be the pumpkin dessert your loved ones expected, they will enjoy trying a little taste of history as well as Thanksgiving dessert ideas they never considered.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends - and of course great food! Make your dessert the centerpiece this year with great pumpkin dessert ideas. Whether you choose a traditional pumpkin pie or a more adventurous pumpkin cheesecake, your guests will appreciate the tasty desserts after a filling Thanksgiving meal.

How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely ground ginger cookies, store bought or homemade
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Cheesecake:

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
1 pound low-fat plain cream cheese, room temperature
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pecan halves for decorating top of cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350?F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan with either non-stick cooking spray or butter.

2. For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, ginger cookie crumbs, finely chopped pecan pieces, granulated sugar, and melted butter or margarine. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator while you make the cheesecake filling.

3. For Cheesecake: Place the cream cheese into the blender and mix until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the brown sugar and spices, and beat until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well (about 30 seconds) for each addition. Use a spatula to scrape any ingredient that didn't get combined off the sides of the blender. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix well.

4. Pour the pumpkin filling over the chilled ginger crust and place spring form pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any drips. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with pecan halves. Place a cake pan filled half full with hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven to add humidity to the air inside the oven and keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350?F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325?F and bake the cheesecake for another 10-20 minutes until the edges are puffed but the center is still slightly jiggly when the pan is shaken.

5. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the spring form pan by gently running a knife around the inside of the pan. Set the cake back on the wire rack (free of the sides of the spring form pan), and cover loosely with aluminum foil. The foil will allow the cheesecake to cool slowly. Once the cake is completely cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours, or overnight, prior to serving.

Serves 10-12 people.

How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely ground ginger cookies, store bought or homemade
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Cheesecake:

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
1 pound low-fat plain cream cheese, room temperature
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pecan halves for decorating top of cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350?F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan with either non-stick cooking spray or butter.

2. For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, ginger cookie crumbs, finely chopped pecan pieces, granulated sugar, and melted butter or margarine. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator while you make the cheesecake filling.

3. For Cheesecake: Place the cream cheese into the blender and mix until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the brown sugar and spices, and beat until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well (about 30 seconds) for each addition. Use a spatula to scrape any ingredient that didn't get combined off the sides of the blender. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix well.

4. Pour the pumpkin filling over the chilled ginger crust and place spring form pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any drips. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with pecan halves. Place a cake pan filled half full with hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven to add humidity to the air inside the oven and keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350?F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325?F and bake the cheesecake for another 10-20 minutes until the edges are puffed but the center is still slightly jiggly when the pan is shaken.

5. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the spring form pan by gently running a knife around the inside of the pan. Set the cake back on the wire rack (free of the sides of the spring form pan), and cover loosely with aluminum foil. The foil will allow the cheesecake to cool slowly. Once the cake is completely cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours, or overnight, prior to serving.

How To Make Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

This is a delicious twist on the classic pumpkin pie recipe, and even easier to make. The only baking in this recipe is for the crust. This is a great dessert to serve at a Halloween party, as dessert (or one of the desserts) at Thanksgiving dinner, or for any other time that you have a taste for pumpkin.

Ingredients:

CRUST

1 ? cups ginger cookie crumbs
? stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
FILLING
1 quart vanilla bean ice cream
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
? teaspoon ground ginger
(optional) assorted dried fruit for decoration

1. Heat the oven to 350?F. In a 9 inch pie plate, combine the ginger cookie crumbs and melted butter. Once the butter is evenly distributed throughout the cookie crumbs, press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a ? cup measuring cup to press into the cookie crumb crust to even out the thickness of the bottom and sides of the crust.

2. Bake the ginger cookie crust for 5 minutes at 350?F. After the 5 minutes, remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

3. While the crust is cooling, take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Once the ice cream has become softened from sitting out, scoop it into a large mixing bowl. Stir the ice cream with a spoon until it becomes broken up, then add the pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Stir the the mixture until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the ice cream.

4. Pour the pumpkin ice cream mixture into the cooled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

5. If you are making this pie for a Halloween party or gathering, decorate the pie with a variety of dried fruits to create a jack-o'-lantern face. Let the pie sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes prior to slicing, so it will be easier to slice.

6. Serve and enjoy this delicious pumpkin ice cream pie!

Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Is Perfect for Every Occasion

It is one cool and blustery fall season and the leftover Halloween jack-o-lanterns are still out on the front porch. The few remaining candies and treats sit around for all to enjoy as a snack. It is a great season with bounty from the garden, and thoughts of more holidays coming just around the corner. A big part of the holidays are the gatherings with family and friends. And of course no gathering is complete without great desserts.

Everyone has a favourite treat. For many that would mean cheesecake. These light cakes bring together the solid goodness of a delicious and flavour-packed biscuit crust together with the smooth and creamy goodness of a good cheesy top. Throw in more treats like berries, syrups and even chocolates and you have a wonderful dessert slice just waiting for you. Then again, plain cheesecake is always seen as the basic and the preferred choice by many. But what about being adventurous when it comes to all the flavours and toppings? Some usual flavours enjoyed by many include blueberries, raspberries and the cookies and cream variety. Others stick to the fruit variety. Still others even fuse cake tastes like coffee and devil's food cake into the mix. Find yourself craving a slice of your favourite cheesecake yet?

What do you get when you crave for these sweet delectable cheesecake treats and fuse this with the fall feel? Well, you get pumpkin cheesecake - just right for the season! You have heard of pumpkin pies, pumpkin bars and other pumpkin treats. But have you ever heard of pumpkin cheesecake? Oh yes, these treats do exist as well!

These are fusions of flavours that surely are quite a delight. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin greatly emphasizes the light goodness of the cheesecake itself. The sweet and smooth topping is even better with the addition of the texture and taste pumpkin brings. The sweet blend of its natural flavours makes up a very delectable mixture that just melts in your mouth. The pumpkin pie is a usual favourite for its natural sweetness. But when you think cheesecake, you can now add pumpkin to the long line of your favourites.

The next time you have a craving for another slice of dessert, grab yourself a good slice of pumpkin cheesecake. This will be another absolute favourite for you to add to your long list for the holiday season! Give it a try!