Okay, so I know that I said that I wasn’t cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year, but that doesn’t mean that I have to miss out on dessert, does it? ‘Cause if so, then I might just be tempted into cooking a turkey!
Especially if that meant that I was able to scarf down this amazing Pumpkin Cranberry Cheesecake!
I will be the first to admit that I adore cheesecake. I started making them when I was in high school and just haven’t stopped. It’s also my hubby’s favorite, so he always requests a cheesecake for his birthday and we usually have one for all of the big holidays. It even serves as our “birthday cake” on Christmas Day. The good news is that it holds a candle well. 🙂
And because I am crazy about cheesecakes, I figured that I should go ahead and experiment with new flavor combos. And this is such a holiday winner that I knew I had to share it with you.
For those of you one the fence about making your own cheesecake, I swear it is super easy. It seems a bit overwhelming, but I find it simpler than most cakes (no frosting…yay!). There is a bit of time involved, but most of that is refrigeration time, so just make sure to plan for that. Or better yet, make it the day before your event so that it is one less thing on your to do list!
- 2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
- 5 Tbs butter, melted
- (4) 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, at room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ Tbs cornstarch
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1¼ Tbs fresh lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Place gingersnap cookies in a large zippered bag and smash to fine crumbs. Add melted butter and combine well. Spread on the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ROOM TEMP cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and cornstarch and beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well after each addition. Next add pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat all until well combined and smooth.
- Pour mixture on top of gingersnap layer and bake at 350* for 55-65 minutes or until center is just set. Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for one hour.
- Carefully run a knife around edges of springform pan to loosen crust.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- To make topping chop 1¼ cup cranberries into small pieces. Add chopped cranberries, sugar, lemon juice and water to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until it thickens (about 10 minutes). Stir in the remaining whole cranberries and cook an additional 2 minutes.
What is your holiday go to dessert? Do you stick with the more traditional pumpkin pies or do you like to shake it up a bit?
Either way, I hope that this pumpkin cranberry cheesecake tempts you into giving it a try! You’ll be glad you did!
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