Description
A creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap cookie crust and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. Make this instead of the usual pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving festivities.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Crust
- 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, approximately 20 cookies
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
For Filling
- 2 blocks of 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 can (15-ounce) pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Topping
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, approximately 10 cookies
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For Crust
- Mix cookie crumbs and butter together in a bowl and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
- Set aside.
For Filling
- Cream the cream cheese in a large bowl with beaters until smooth.
- Mix in sugar and one egg at a time making sure all ingredients are incorporated well.
- Add pumpkin and mix just until mixture is blended.
- Then stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour onto the crust in the pan and place into the hot oven.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven.
Topping
- Mix together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Top cheesecake with sour cream mixture.
Streusel Topping
- Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave oven.
- Add cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and pecans to butter and stir to mix well.
- Sprinkle streusel onto the sour cream mixture on top of the cheesecake.
- Bake at 375 degrees for another 10- 15 minutes.
- Let the cheesecake cool for a couple of hours in the oven with the door cracked open.
- Remove the cake from the oven and pass a knife between the side of the pan and the filling, separating the cheesecake from the pan.
- Remove the sides of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool.
- Refrigerate the cake for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Slice into wedges and serve cold.
Notes
To make crumbs, process cookies in a food processor or put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Use the bottom of a glass to help spread the crumbs evenly in the pan. Do not press too firmly. This helps you cut the cake easily from the pan.
Place the filled springform pan on a foil-lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup in case the pan leaks.
