Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with a Gingersnap Crust

These mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are the perfect little holiday treat. The crust is so simple, just a gingersnap dropped into the bottom of a muffin tin, and, because these are muffin-sized, they're pretty foolproof.

Even if the tops of your cheesecakes sink too much, or even crack, you can hide any flaws with a spritz of whipped cream. These little cheesecakes are also wonderful for using up any leftover pumpkin puree you might have.

This recipe is very forgiving. I know from experience. The first time I made these cheesecakes, I followed the recipe to the letter (I thought) ... put it all together and placed the cakes into the oven.. then I discovered the egg! Sitting on the counter. Dang.

Thank goodness for mise en place (fancy, huh?).  I was wondering why the batter was weird.

When I discovered the error, I pulled the pan out of the oven, scraped all of the somewhat warm batter back into the mixing bowl, and mixed in the egg.

New cupcake liners, new ginger snaps. My cakes were probably smaller than they were supposed to be. Not exactly the way the recipe was designed, but the cheesecakes worked out. Phew!

Update (October, 2017): The photos above are new. The photo below is from the original post from 2012... the one where I had to add in the missing egg. Not a huge difference!

If you want a dessert recipe that you can completely mess up and still produce something tasty, give this one a try.

The flavor is like cheesecake and pumpkin pie got married.

This recipe makes 8 muffin sized cheesecakes. You can also make these in a mini cheesecake pan, which will yield 12. You'll just have to reduce the baking time to about 15 to 18 minutes.

For more mini cheesecake recipes, check out these mini cheesecakes with salted caramel and these peaches and cream mini cheesecakes.

For recipes using pumpkin puree, try this pumpkin martini, these cranberry pumpkin rolls, or this sourdough pumpkin milk bread. I've got lots of recipes using pumpkin puree. Just drop "pumpkin" in the search box above, and explore.

Yield: 8 servings

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 gingersnaps
• 8 ounces of softened (room temperature) cream cheese
• 1/4 C maple syrup (real)
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• Pinch of salt
• Small amount of sweetened whipped cream (optional)
• Small amount of cinnamon or cinnamon or cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and place 8 cupcake papers into a muffin tin. Place an upside down gingersnap into each paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and maple syrup at two minutes at medium high. Beat in the egg until incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat for another two minutes.
3. Evenly divide the batter among the cups and bake for 25 to 27 minutes.
4. Allow the mini cheesecakes to cool at room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least four hours. To serve, top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar.

http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2012/11/mini-pumpkin-cheesecakes.html