Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts
Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with gingersnap crusts are irresistible, individual desserts. This easy cheesecake recipe makes the perfect fall dessert!
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts
My friend and fellow blogger, Kate of Kate’s Kitchen, sent me an email asking if I wanted to be a “Celebrity” chef at a benefit to raise funds for folks with developmental disabilities. Huh? I guess I could fake the celebrity status with a confident attitude, right? How could I say no?
The last 4 weeks have been crazy: flying to Iowa, moving my sick and elderly parents 800 miles to Denver in an RV, flying home, flying to Seattle for a food bloggers conference, flying back to Denver when my dad was admitted to the ICU. Ugh. Enough already. I needed 75 servings of a dessert, so instead of making a traditional, full sized cheesecake, I went with a simple fall classic, Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Instead of the typical graham crackers in the crust, I bought a bag of gingersnaps and crushed them for some extra zing. I love the contrast of white chocolate with the orange pumpkin, so I topped these all with a round of ganache and varied the garnishes: crystallized ginger, candied pecans, and candy corn. The toppings are great at disguising any imperfections (shhh…don’t tell!) plus making for a more elegant presentation. As luck would have it, this month’s Dessert Challenge theme is pumpkin and cream cheese, so thankfully, these served double duty. If you’re interested in supporting this wonderful cause, you can go to the Indy Cooks site and follow the link to “tip the chef.” Even a dollar will help…thanks SO much!!!
A couple of items you may need to make the mini pumpkin cheesecakes:
Mini Muffin Pan
Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts
Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with gingersnap crusts
Ingredients
Crust:
- 12 ounces gingersnap cookies, processed into crumbs (I used Archway cookies)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
Optional garnishes:
- White chocolate ganache (6 ounces chopped white chocolate melted with 1/4 cup cream)
- Candied pecans
- Crystallized ginger
- Candy corn
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º. Line mini muffin tins with muffin papers. Set aside.
- Mix together gingersnap crumbs and melted butter, till well incorporated. Put 1 teaspoon of crumbs into the bottom of each muffin tin. Tamp down to make the bottom crusts. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin puree and beat till incorporated, scraping the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just till incorporated.
- Spoon filling into prepared mini-muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
- When cool, may top with a round of white chocolate ganache, then a pecan half, piece of crystallized ginger or a candy pumpkin, if desired.
Notes
Total time does not reflect cooling and chilling time
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
37Serving Size:
2 mini cheesecakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 3g
54 Comments on “Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts”
Mini cheesecakes are such a good idea, because I could easily eat half of a large cheesecake in one sitting 😉 Love the fall flavor of these! Wow, you’ve been having quite a busy, and i’m sure stressful, time. I hope things smooth out soon and that your parents are doing ok, Liz!
You are more than a celebrity in my book, Liz! How do you manage to do it all? Wonders of wonders then you “whip” together these little darlings. Whew! Take a moment to breathe and thank you for sharing…
What fun and cute mini cheesecakes. Love the pumpkin and fall flavors. 🙂
You undoubtedly brought oodles of joy to the people at the event – as well as their taste buds. Very pretty, indeed, Celebrity Chef Liz =)
Ginger snaps are my 90-year-old father’s faves so they hold a dear place in my heart. And are a wonderful foundation for any cheesecake =)
These mini pumpkin cheesecakes look so cute and pretty! Love the sound of the gingersnap crust and the candy corn topping is so adorable. Hope life calms down a little more for you soon and that your dad is doing better.
these look absolutely adorable. specially the ones with candy corn topping. so cute !
hope you dad is doing better now. it is indeed wonderful of you to manage everything at home and then help at fund raising too. kudos to you !
Lovin’ the gingersnap crust! I hope your dad is doing better and that everyone is settled in from the move:@)
How cool! What a fantastic opportunity. This looks delicious – well deserved!
How can I say no to a celebrity chef recipe!? 🙂 Sounds like you’ve earned these cheesecake cups over the last few weeks- and then some.
Ugh Liz, what a fall you’ve had! I can’t believe you were still so cheerful and positive at IFBC when you were dealing with so many personal issues. You are truly superwoman. Your mini pumpkin cheesecakes are absolutely adorable and I can see from the photos that they were baked perfectly. Mine would look all cracked, I know it. I’ll just have to smother them in white chocolate ganache like you did and add cute, tasty toppings!
I love love love these and so clever with the different garnish! I can’t believe I used to not like cheesecake, it’s one of my favorites to eat and make now!
Posted an earlier comment but not sure if it went thru………..
Oh yum, these are certainly some delightful snacks with the additional of gingersnap cookies!
Wow Liz, you have had a crazy month. Hope your dad is doing better. I always think life is going to slow down but it just doesn’t happen, does it? Your little cheesecakes look and sound amazing. I know everyone loved them!
My favorite celebrity chef!!! Yaaaaay LIZ!! Beautiful mini cheesecakes. I really, really love gingersnap crust… so spicy and delicious!
I’ll try gingersnaps the next time I bake cheesecake 🙂 Love the candy corn garnish !
What a great idea for extra ZING! I love the gingersnap touch. These look yummy. I hope things settle down for you. What a fun month for the dessert challenge, huh?
You are such a wonderful person, Liz. 🙂
ps Archway ginger snaps are our fave store bought.
Oh, Mary, you’re always so kind and generous with your compliments. Thank you. You do remember my snarky side, don’t you 😉
Kudos to you for helping out with the fundraiser and helping those that really need it. I hope it raises a lot of funds! You know I want these cheesecakes, right? I so love pumpkin. And cheesecake. And even crumbled ginger cookies.
Liz these are so cute! I love gingersnap and especially the candy corn garnish!