Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Both pumpkin pie and traditional cheesecake have been two of America's favorite desserts since the beginning of time. What's even better is combining the two into one! Something crazy good happens when you incorporate pumpkin puree and spices in to the cheesecake batter. The sweet velvety taste is almost impossible to describe, you should probably try it for yourself!
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 9" x 13" baking disk lightly greased
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs finely ground
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Filling
- 3 8 oz each packages cream cheese room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup North Coast Organic APPLESAUCE
Top Layer
- 1-16 ounce container of sour cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a food processor, finely grind the graham crackers. In a small bowl, mix together the cracker crumbs and sugar, then stir in butter to combine. Lightly grease a 9”x13” baking dish with coconut oil and press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- On medium speed, beat in the pumpkin, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Add APPLESAUCE and beat on low speed until combined. Do not over beat as this will cause cracking.
- Pour filling over crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until center is no longer jiggly. Turn off the oven and crack the door until cool.
- For the top layer, mix the sour cream, sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Spread out over the cheesecake until it is evenly distributed.
- Making sure the pan is completely cooled, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
