Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2-3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (melter)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 + 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice**
- 4 eggs
- 1 large can pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin pie filling)
Line outside of spring form pan with two layers of aluminum foil. Take the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and mix together. Press into a lightly greased spring form pan. (I trace parchment paper and cut it into the shape of the bottom of the pan and sit it inside the pan and then spray the lining of the pan - parchment paper too). Press mixture firmly on the inside of the pan and halfway up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes at 350.
Mix softened cream cheese until whipped - scraping down the sides AND BOTTOM of the bowl as necessary. Add in sugar (1/3 cup at a time) until well incorporated - scrape sides and bottom of bowl again. Add in the pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the pumpkin. Add in eggs (1 at a time - mixing well in between each). Pour into pie crust we prepared earlier. Cook for 15 minutes at 350 and cut the heat back to 300 and bake an additional 45-50 minutes. Cut the oven off and open the door of the oven and let it cool another 30 minutes (with the door open and the oven off). After 30 minutes, bring it to a cool place on top of the counter to cool for an additional hour. After the hour and half cool down, you can safely move the cheesecake to the fridge without shocking it.
*** NOTE*** DO NOT over mix the cheesecake once the eggs are in! Your cheesecake will puff up like a souffle and then fall and crack -- and it will be UGLY! -- On a turtle cheesecake, you can hide it because you could fill the cracks with the toppings, but the pumpkin isn't as forgiving!
Serve the cheesecake cold - topped with a dollop of cool whip! Its amazing! This particular recipe is not that impressive warm, but its fabulous cold!
