Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

Courtesy of Nicole Bicksle

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 12 oz. of store-bought
• Gingersnap cookies
• 1 stick butter
• ¼ cup sugar

For the cheesecake:

• Four 8-oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 eggs

For the pumpkin pie:

• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 cups pumpkin purée
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 ½-by-11-inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Crust:

Pulse the cookies in a food processor until you get 2 ½ cups of cookie crumbs. Melt the butter and add to the cookie crumbs with the sugar. Pulse until well combined. Carefully pour the cookie crumb mixture into the pan, pressing it into the bottom and sides of the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Cheesecake:

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt and vanilla, mix well. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into prepared crust, spreading evenly.

Pumpkin pie:

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add egg yolks and stir with a whisk. Add in the pumpkin and whisk together well. Add milk and vanilla and mix. Whip the egg whites until bubbly and almost white, and add to the pumpkin mixture. Pour over top the cheesecake filling and swirl together with a knife or fork. Bake for 1 hour, turn off the oven, and let the pumpkin cheesecake set in the cooling oven. Refrigerate overnight before cutting into squares to serve. Top with whipped topping, caramel sauce and honey-roasted pecans, if desired.

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