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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce; served on a white cake plate.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts is a rich and delicious dessert that makes regular pumpkin pie seem boring...this is extravagant and worthy of a celebration!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword caramel, cheesecake, holiday, pie, pumpkin, thanksgiving
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 550kcal
Author Barb

Ingredients

For the Gingersnap Crust

  • 1 ½ cups gingersnap cookies
  • 6 tablespoons melted butter
  • ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 6 tablespoons sugar

For the Filling

  • 24 ounces 3 packages cream cheese; room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 15 ounces pumpkin fresh or canned
  • 2 tablespoons. bourbon
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For Garnish:

  • 1 cup toasted walnut or pecan pieces
  • Whipping cream

Instructions

To Make the Crust

  • Mix together all ingredients in a bowl or in a processor. Pat into a 9 inch springform pan; covering both the bottom and about 1 inch on the sides.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes Remove from oven and cool completely.

To Make the Cheesecake

  • reheat oven to 325 degrees (or turn it down if baking crust and cheesecake in succession).
  • Put the cream cheese and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated; add the pumpkin and the bourbon and beat to combine.
  • Combine the flour and pumpkin pie spice and whisk together. Add to the filling and beat gently until smooth.
  • Pour the filling into the cooled crust.Do not overfill; leave about 1/2 to 3/4 top space. I had a bit of extra filling so just baked it in a ramekin for 'testing.'
  • Put the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until it looks set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out wet but clean.
  • Turn the heat off, crack the oven door about 4 or 5 inches. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door cracked open for an additional 30 minutes. This should help prevent any cracks but with this dessert it's not really an issue since the top is being covered with toasted walnuts, whipped cream and caramel. What cracks?
  • Remove from the oven to cool completely. Once cooled, put into the refrigerator until time to serve.
  • Fill the top with toasted walnuts and top with whipped cream.
  • Drizzle the whipped cream with caramel sauce - salted, bourbon or otherwise!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 4036IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg