How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
* 1 cup gingersnap crumbs approximately 14 to 16 cookies prior to crushing
* 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
* 1 package cream cheese at room temperature (8 ounce)
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 15 ounces pumpkin puree
* 2 eggs room temperature
* 12 ounces evaporated milk
* 1½ teaspoon vanilla
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
* ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping:
* 2 cup pecans finely chopped
* ½ cup packed brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Pulse together the gingersnaps crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and sugar until they are fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse to blend.
Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes . Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
For the Filling:
On medium speed, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the pumpkin and mix on low speed until fully blended.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the milk and vanilla, beating until well combined. Stir in the spices and salt, mixing on low.
Pour onto the crust. Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes.
For the Topping:
Add the nuts, brown sugar, and water together in a bowl and then spread over the top of the pumpkin cheesecake.
Spread the mixture over the top of the pumpkin cheesecake.
Bake for 30 minutes. If the pecan topping is browning too much, tent lightly with foil.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Chill overnight.
Once chilled, cut into squares.