I finally had some time to post a recipe that I had waiting to share with everyone for a year. Since it is fall, it is the perfect time for pumpkin recipes and a favorite is pumpkin cheesecake bars! I brought this to last year’s pchem picnic (gathering of really cool scientists…to eat food and play kickball). It was a hit!
These bars combined the awesome fall comfort of pumpkin and spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon, with the creaminess of cheesecake. I added a touch of homemade caramel, mostly because I did something stupid and put the bars in a smaller pan then the recipe (from Celebrations) called for so my bars were thicker and took longer to cook through. Unfortunately, the extra time kind of singed the crust. But the caramel was a good fix. Now that it is pumpkin/squash time again, embrace the fall season and make some pumpkin cheesecake bars! Plus bars are a lot easier to manage than a full out cheesecake.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, crushed (I don’t like the crumbs to be too finely ground, because I think that leads to a harder and denser crust)
½ tbsp cinnamon (really to taste)
½ cups pecans, chopped into medium sized pieces (makes the crust a little bit more chewy)
½ cup butter, melted
1 ¼ cup brown sugar (I prefer dark)
2 cups cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 – 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (I added another tsp of cinnamon)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8 in baking pan with baking spray.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, melted butter and ¼ cup brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. When everything is moistened, pat an even layer of the crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Freeze the crust for 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and soft. Gently, add the pumpkin until it is completely incorporated and there are no lumps of cream cheese.
- Beat in sugar, eggs and spices (however much you would like to add) into the pumpkin mixture. When everything is combined, pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 35-40 minutes. The edges should be set. I baked the cheesecake with tinfoil wrapped around the edge of the pan and slightly covering about an inch of the edge to prevent it from overcooking. I also put a pan of water in the oven.
- Once the cheesecake is done cooking, cool to room temperature before chilling for at least 3 hours.
I am sure you will have no need for caramel sauce so I won’t include that yet, but if you do have questions about it just ask and I will post it for you. These bars are absolutely perfect for the season so give them a try! Happy eating.