Downsized Pumpkin Cheesecake on a Gingerbread Crust with Chai Whipped Cream
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings
- Category: Thanksgiving, Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Let me introduce the first dessert of several that I’m going to offer you over the next couple of days. Pumpkin cheesecake on top of gingerbread cookies. Usually I make a big tray-full of these babies, but because it’s just my little household this year for Thanksgiving, I’ve downsized the recipe. Because I still plan on making pies, I do not needs gads of pumpkin cheesecake sitting around!
This recipe makes about 9 small pumpkin cheesecake squares. But you could cut this into four large pieces if you want big pieces! At Target, I found stuffed gingerbread cookies, and those looked perfect for this recipe! When pulverized in a food processor, the creamy inside gets chopped up with the cookies pieces (just like if you’ve ever made a pie with an Oreo crust!). You could use gingersnap cookies instead, though. I used half of the box of cookies… I’m thinking I’m going to use the other half for pumpkin pie or apple pie 😉.
The gingerbread crust is cooked in the oven before adding the cheesecake filling. I found that the crust still looked very wet after baking. But, after letting it fully cool and then baking with the cheesecake filling, it was perfect! So don’t let the wet appearance scare you!
I line an 8” by 8” baking dish with a long piece of parchment paper… long enough to hang over the edges. That way, when the cheesecake is cooled, I can gently lift it out of the dish, nice and clean. You don’t have to use parchment paper, but the pieces you cut may not come out quite as cleanly. But that’s okay too! It’ll still taste delicious!
On top of the cheesecake, I decided to make a chai flavored whipped cream because, well, why not? Something different than just plain whipped cream! And all the chai flavors compliment the pumpkin seasonings! I love making homemade whipped cream. It is super easy to do and there are so many fun flavor combinations! It works well with dry seasonings or even with a bit of liquor added! Just make sure to wait to put it on once the cheesecake is fully cool! I made the mistake of putting it on a tad too soon; as you can see in the photos, it’s melting slightly.
This dessert is super easy to make and doesn’t require that much hands on time… it’s mostly just oven time! And this is the perfect size dessert for a small family gathering among your quarin-team 😋.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Gingerbread Base
~5.3 oz gingerbread sandwich cookies (I got mine from Target)
4 TBs butter, melted
1 TB brown sugar
Filling
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
½ TB vanilla extract
15 oz can of pure pumpkin
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TB sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
Pulverize the cookies into small crumbs using a food processor. Place in a medium bowl and mix together the cookie crumb with the brown sugar. Add the butter and mix thoroughly.
Scoop the cookie crumbles into an 8” by 8” baking dish and evenly flatten and smooth using the back of a spoon (I placed a piece of parchment paper over the baking dish to easily remove the cheesecake when done ~ not required though!). Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 16 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
Lower the oven to 325°
Make the filling. Using a standing mixer with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, whisk together on medium the cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Add the canned pumpkin and mix together.
Pour the pumpkin mix on top of the gingersnap base. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Place in the oven and cook 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool with as the oven cools. Once it is cool enough to hand touch, place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled ~ about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. Again, using a standing mixer with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, whisk together on high the heavy whipping cream with the sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. Continue to whisk until firm peaks form and hold their shape.
Once the cheesecake is cooled, remove from the baking dish and cut into 9 squares. Pipe the whipped cream on top. Place back in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or eat immediately!
Enjoy!
Keywords: Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares, Chai Whipped Cream, Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas, Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes, Pumpkin Desserts, Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
