Pumpkin-Swirl Cheesecake

photo by:kraft

Even when last golden days of summer fade away, pumpkin returns to make everything OK again. Welcome the season with these velvety smooth bars with a spicy cookie crust.

time

prep:

20 min

total:

6 hr 5 min

servings

total:

16 servings

add your photo

add to shopping list

add to recipe box

send/share

What You Need

NABISCO Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/2

cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

1/4

cup butter, melted

pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

cup sugar, divided

tsp. vanilla

eggs

cup canned pumpkin

tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4

tsp. ground nutmeg

Dash ground cloves

Make It

HEAT oven to 325°F

MIX ginger snap crumbs, nuts and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan.

BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Remove 1-1/2 cups batter. Stir remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.

SPOON half the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half the plain batter. Repeat layers; swirl gently with knife.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise

Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.

Make it Easy

Line pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Use foil handles to lift chilled cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

How to Prepare Cheesecake in Springform Pan

To bake cheesecake in 9-inch springform pan instead, prepare as directed increasing the bake time to 55 min. to 1 hour 5 min or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Rate recipes, or edit your previous ratings and more. Sign In

taylorthegirl

posted:10/27/2010

In the interest of being healthy(er), I made a couple substitutions: • Old Fashioned, organic ginger snaps • Smart Balance omega-3 butter/oil blend • Neufchatel 1/3 less fat cream cheese • Omega-3 eggs I was nervous when I was preparing these because the cheesecake portion was VERY runny. It was hard for me to swirl the layers because it didn't want to hold the shape. Mine ended up looking more like 3 layers: crust-pumpkin-cheesecake, which still looked very nice. Not only did they look lovely, but they tasted AMAZING! I took them to my office potluck and they vanished off the tray! Everyone LOVED them! I lined my baking pan with foil, so it was the easiest clean up EVER! I'm going to make these again for Thanksgiving and I know they'll be a yearly tradition that everyone looks forward to :)

GTRIVERA

posted:10/20/2010

I love this recipe! My family loves both cheesecake & pumpkin pie and this satisfies both cravings! I noticed that a few people mentioned the difficulty in crushing the gingersnaps. The easiest way I've found (if you don't have a food processor) is to put the cookies in a ziplock freezer bag, take out as much air as possible and pound the bag with the flat side of a meat mallet (a hammer works, too), turning or shaking the bag frequently, until the desired consistency is reached. Also, sometimes before serving, I garnish the top with a few cinnamon glazed pecan halves. Bon appetit!

Mary4zoe

posted:10/20/2010

Try using a mini electric food chopper for preparing the ginger snaps and nuts...or even the full size food processor.

a cook

posted:10/19/2010

this recipe has long been a family favorite of ours. it is requested year after year, and Thanksgiving isn't the same without it. the gingersnaps are the perfect crust. I now make 2 - one for Thanksgiving day, and one for the day after to go with leftovers! :)

kmburke12

posted:10/14/2010

I loved the flavor and easy to make loved the taste.

mamaboo88

posted:6/8/2010

Personally I thought the gingersnaps had way to strong of a flavor. and the mix of pumpkin and cream cheese didn't do it for me. But my husband liked it so i guess too each their own.

twomoore673

posted:1/1/2010

Will make again. I had this as an added dessert to our Thanksgiving dinner. Very good!

a cook

posted:12/25/2009

I make this every year for the Holidays. I make one adjustment. I use Splenda instead of Sugar so that it is easier on my husband who is a diabetic. He's going to eat it anyway so if I can save a few carbs for him I try to.

JodyLynn07

posted:12/24/2009

I made this for Thanksgiving and my teenage brothers begged for me to make it again for Christmas! The crust is great and it's super easy to make!

deonxav24

posted:12/18/2009

Love this recipe. It was a different spin on the traditional cheesecake and being holiday season, I decided to make this last year and it was a success. The gingersnaps and pecans make for a nice and unusal crust, even though the Gingersnaps are hard to crush, it is worth the time. Try this recipe out.