Pumpkin Cheesecake

I love pumpkin. It is one of my favorite things about fall. I love the smell. I love the taste. I love the many things you can do with it. Last year I was determined to try out some new recipes and was excited when my in-laws announced that we would be having a pumpkin meal contest. There was around six different categories and all had to feature pumpkin. There was just one problem. The morning of this delicious pumpkin dinner I was walking down the hall to the kitchen where Christian was preparing some of our pumpkin delights and had to bolt into the bathroom. That's right the one smell during pregnancy I couldn't stand was pumpkin.

This year I am making up for the lack of pumpkin goodness in our home. This weekend alone I made pumpkin spice cookies, two pumpkin pies, and two pumpkin cheesecakes. It is that recipe I now share with you.


This recipe is taken from the Foodnetwork.com. I took Paula Deen's recipe and made it my own so here it is-

Nat's pumpkin cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 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 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

Combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust and bake for one hour 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Here are the great things about this recipe. The brown sugar in the crust gives the pie a caramel feel. The cheesecake spices are fantastic and give it just the right kick. Oh and the cheesecake is so creamy. Really I am in love with this.

Oh and just so we are clear honey, I didn't eat that piece of cheesecake featured in the picture above. Well, maybe I had a bite but don't judge me by the dishes in the sink.