Pumpkin Cheesecake

This was dessert at out Thanksgiving dinner, but it would make a great addition to your Christmas dinner as well. I originally saw the recipe for this yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Snap Pecan Crust on Our Best Bites.   This Cheesecake will not disappoint. I'm not a big pumpkin pie person, but this cheesecake was  fabulous. My hubby keeps telling me it is the best cheesecake we have ever made.  It's rich and creamy. The gingersnaps added an excellent flavor to the cheesecake. I did leave out the pecans

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Our Best Bites
Crust:

• 2 1/4 C gingersnap cookie crumbs 
• 6 T real butter, melted
• 3 T brown sugar

Filling:

• 3 8 oz blocks cream cheese
• 3/4 C canned pumpkin puree
• 6 oz melted white chocolate (that’s about 1 C white chocolate chips)
• 1 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Using 2 large pieces of heavy duty foil , securely wrap the bottom and outside of your spring form cheesecake pan. This will prevent leaks when using the water bath. (I actually set my pan in the end of an oven bag for cooking a chicken or turkey and cut off the rest of the bag leaving the bag about 1/2 inch taller than the pan.)

For Crust:

Use a food processor to crush gingersnaps. Combine gingersnaps, brown sugar, and butter. Stir well to combine. Press into a 9″ spring form pan. Evenly spread across the bottom of pan and up the sides about 1 inch.

For the filling:

To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. With the mixer running, slowly add in white chocolate in a steady stream (or steady blobs). Do  not over mix, that's a great way to ruin the texture of a cheesecake. Pour mixture on top of the crust.

For water bath:

Place cheesecake pan inside of a larger pan like a roasting pan (I used a 12 inch round cake pan). The larger pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth. Place in pre-heated oven. Fill a kettle or pitcher with hot water, pour water into the larger pan about halfway up, or approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

Bake cheesecake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The edges should be set but the center should still be a little jiggly. It will finish cooking while cooling. When it’s done, remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a very soft cheesecake so sufficient chilling is a must!