Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts

Monday, October 1, 2012

October is here which means it is officially time to crank out the pumpkin recipes! Excited? I am! Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner and I made chili and cornbread. For dessert I had prepared these tasty little cheesecake bites. This was my first attempt at baking in my mini cheesecake pan and I had no idea what I was doing. Since I made my own recipe I was unsure of the baking/cooling time.... yeah, I winged it. Turns out that my guesses were pretty spot-on because these came out moist and oh so delicious! Happy October and let the pumpkin madness begin!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Ingredients
1 package (8 oz) Original Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature
½ c. pumpkin puree
¼ c. + 2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. heavy cream
¼ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or allspice)
¹⁄₈ tsp. nutmeg

For the crust:
8 gingersnap cookies
1 graham cracker
1½  tbsp. melted butter
1½ tsp. brown sugar
¼ c. pecans
pinch of salt

For the vanilla bean whipped cream:
1 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
Seeds from ¼ a vanilla bean

Pumpkin pie spice for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind all ingredients for crust, except for the melted butter. The mixture should resemble slightly coarse crumbs. Remove mixture and pour melted butter over. Mix until crumbs are wet. Press into the bottom of each hole. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
3. While crust is baking prepare filling beating together cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin puree until smooth. Add spices, vanilla, heavy cream and egg. Mix until just combined.
4. Pour filling over each crust, dividing evenly. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing cheesecakes (yes your cheesecakes will sink a little, this is normal).
5. Remove cheesecakes from pan using the bottom of a wooden spoon. Using a butter knife, remove metal bottoms and place cheesecakes in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
6. While cheesecakes are cooling, prepare vanilla bean whipped cream by fitting a chilled mixing bowl into your stand mixer. Add heavy cream, sugar and scraped vanilla bean seeds. Using the whisk attachment beat on high for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks begin to form. Return to refrigerator until cheesecakes are ready to be served.
7. To assemble, using a mesh sieve, lightly dust cheesecakes with pumpkin pie spice before or after topping with a swirl of whipped cream. Enjoy!
Stephen + Natalie | Makes 12 mini cheesecakes using the Chicago Metallic Mini Cheesecake Pan

79 Comments:

  1. These look absolutely amazing I love the ginger snap crust!!

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  2. oh my word, natalie! Those look delish! So glad to be sponsoring you again this month ;)

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  3. Those are beautiful!! I love mini desserts, pumpkin is my all-time favorite!

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    Replies
    1. I think pumpkin is my all-time favorite too! So happy it's fall!

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    2. YES! Pumpkin is my favorite, soothing to the tummy.

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  4. These look fantastic! I love how you used gingersnaps for the crust!

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  5. These looks absolutely fantastic and delicious... Certainly a fall favorite!

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  6. These look amazing, totally want to try it! how many does the recipe make?

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  7. These mini cheesecakes look so pretty! A perfect autumn dessert.

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  8. I am always looking for a reason to use my mini- cheese cake pan! I can't wait to try this~

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  9. Oh these look so yummy! I don't have a mini cheesecake pan but I may need to get one now!

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  10. Hi there,

    I've mentioned your wonderful pumpkin recipe in my blog. I hope that's ok? I'm also a new and happy follower and maybe you would like to do the same:-)

    http://meandmysweets.blogspot.se/2012/10/pumpkin-inspiration.html

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  11. Oh my goodness, Natalie, these look so good!
    Have a good day, Nancy

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  12. Could you make these in a cupcake pan?

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    1. You could, but just know that if you use a standard size pan you'd probably need to double the recipe and adjust the baking time. The mini cheesecake pan produces almost mini cupcake size cheesecakes... so if you use a mini pan this recipe would probably work just fine. Hope that helps! Good luck!

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  13. Gingersnaps and pumpkin? What could be better? My weekly linky party--One Creative Weekend--has gone spooky this week in honor of my thirteenth party. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll visit "One Creative Weekend" on OneCreativeMommy.com (open every Fri-Wed) and link up this idea and anything else you’d like to share. (You can include non-Halloween posts as well, but feel free to link up as many Halloween-themed posts as you like.) There are two categories—one for Halloween and one for everything else.

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  14. These look sinfully delicious, perfect for fall and all of the upcoming holidays! I'm always interested in finding more pumpkin recipes :)

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  15. What in the world is a mini cheesecake pan? Could these be made in a tassie pan?

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    1. I'd say it's pretty similar, and you probably could but they'd be a little tricky to remove without smashing them. The mini cheesecake pan has metal discs that you insert into the bottom of each well, and then you pop them out through a hole in the bottom of the pan once they've cooled. Here's a link to the pan I have: http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-555284/Chicago-Metallic-Mini-Cheesecake-Pan.

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  16. These look AMAZING! I'd love for you to link this up to Do Something Crafty Friday: http://seevanessacraft.com/2012/10/do-something-crafty-60/

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  17. Love anything pumpkin!!! These look delish!

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  18. There is eggs and heavy cream listed in the instructions for the pumpkin but they are not listed in the ingredients. Am I missing something?

    Looks delicious! Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. They're up there in the ingredients list... maybe you just skimmed over it too fast :)

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  19. Stunning and super-delicious looking mini-cakes

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  20. Oh my!! My husband would LOVE those! Yum!! I found your blog on Southern Lovely and I am your newest follower. I would love for you to follow me back so that we can continue to share ideas. Looking forward to more posts! :)

    Sarah@
    www.blissfulbucketlist.com

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  21. Oh my goodness... those look lovely!!! I so wish I could have some now!! I just bought 4 cans of pumpkin.. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make these!

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  22. Those look SOOOO Good! I've got that pan, I just need to MAKE some mini cheesecakes!

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  23. These cheesecakes look amazing! So pretty and so delicious! I especially love the gingerbread crusts!
    Jo-Anna

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  24. Now I'm in trouble! I don't usually like cheesecake, but I found out last Thanksgiving that I love pumpkin Cheesecake...YUMMMM!!!

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  25. These look so incredible!!!!

    Your newest follower,
    Cathy Mini!

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  26. These look insanely delicious! We will be featuring them tomorrow at Uncommon! Thanks for sharing them with us this week!

    Take care,

    Trish

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  27. I'll be featuring YOU tomorrow morning at 7 am central time. Thank you so much for linking up to {wow me} wednesday at GingerSnapCrafts.com

    Ginger :)

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  28. Beautiful, I love small bakery, perfekt appetizers! ;-)

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  29. Yum-my! This looks so wonderful. {I think a little bit of drool just rolled down my chin.} Thanks so much for sharing this with my readers at my linky party.

    Warmly, Michelle

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  30. Beautiful and they sound so delicious! Wow!!

    <3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
    Wildly Original linky party is open.

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  31. Stop by 'Or so she says...' tomorrow to check out your post in the spotlight! Thanks so much for sharing your talent at the link party, I would love to have you share again. :) www.oneshetwoshe.com

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  32. Oh my, these look amazing! I have all of the ingredients to make these so I may have to try them soon. I've been wanting to make cheesecake again! Thanks for sharing on Marvelous Mondays!

    Julie
    www.thisgalcooks.com

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  33. Oh, these look so delicious! Visiting from Melt in Your Mouth Mondays.

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  34. these look so good! i have never seen a mini cheesecake pan but i might need to find one!
    xoamy
    www.cupcakesncouture.com

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  35. I was wondering if I would be able to make, bake and them freeze them for later. Once thawed then I could frost them. Have you ever tried freezing them?

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    1. I haven't ever had to freeze them but I'm sure you could!

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  36. Love gingersnaps with pumpkin! (Love Olive Garden pumpkin cheesecake for that reason!) We put them on our pumpkin spice fro-yo! Great recipe--want to try!

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  37. I've been browsing recipes on Pinterest for Thanksgiving and these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are perfect! I have to feed 40 hungry folks and we always have 3 to 4 desserts on offer.

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  38. I apologize if this question has already been asked, but where can I find a mini cheesecake pan? Is it something that I'll need to order from a Williams Sonoma? Maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond?

    Thanks so much for your help! I pinned this (along with the rest of the world) and plan to make for Thanksgiving this year!

    :)

    Linda

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    1. Not a problem, I've had a few people ask. I think I purchased mine at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I don't think they carry it anymore. I work at Sur La Table and I know we carry it... here's a link to it:

      http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-555284/Chicago-Metallic-Mini-Cheesecake-Pan.

      It should ship relatively fast if you do decide to purchase it online! Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  39. I made these! They were delicious! I loved the crust. Thank you! www.blogasyoubake.blogspot.com

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  40. Can't wait until Thanksgiving to make these! Do you have any idea how much 1 graham cracker equals after grinding? I have a whole box of graham cracker crumbs and just need an idea of how much to use.

    I also don't have a mini-cheesecake pan either, so I'm going to double the recipe, as you suggested to another poster, and make them in my silicone cupcake pans. I'm hoping if I cover them and put in fridge, I should be able to pop them right out! Finger crossed!! :) Thanks!

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    1. I would guess about 2 tbsp, but that is just an educated guess! A little more or less wont hurt, I promise! Good luck! Oh, and I'd love to hear how they turn out in the silicone cupcake pans!!!

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    2. Thanks! I'm making them now & will let you know how they turn out! Happy Thanksgiving!

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    3. OMG! These are SO good! And the silicone cupcake pan worked like magic! The recipe made 5 of them, so if I was cooking for a crowd, I would definitely double the recipe. I sprayed the pan w/ cooking spray, then put 2 Tbs of crust in each & filled them all the way to the top w/ the cheesecake filling. I cooked them for approx. 23-24mins, cooled them for 20, then I covered them with seran and put them in the fridge, still in the cupcake pan. After several hours (at least 4), they popped right out. Perfect size for dessert serving - a true mini-cheesecake! I hope this helps others out there that don't have a mini-cupcake pan either. Can wait to eat the rest tomorrow! :)

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    4. Good to hear! Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad that they turned out so well. Thanks for giving them a try and for experimenting a bit! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

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  41. If I dont have vanilla bean how much vanilla extract would you use?

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    1. I like the flavor of vanilla so I would do about 1/2 tsp, but if you want it to be more subtle try 1/4 tsp. Hope that helps!

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  42. I made them today and they are amazing. Perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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  43. Found this on Pinterest. Made them today and they are wonderful! Thank you!

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  44. Where do you get mini cheesecake pans and what size did you use for this recipe? Thanks! Look beautiful and delicious.

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    1. I work at Sur La Table and we carry the Chicago Metallic Mini Cheesecake Pan... here's a link to it:

      http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-555284/Chicago-Metallic-Mini-Cheesecake-Pan.

      It should ship relatively fast if you decide to purchase it online. I haven't really seen the pan in any stores, I know Bed, Bath & Beyond used to carry it. Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  45. I am making mine now for tomorrow and they look much lighter than yours. What kind of pumpkin did you use! They still look good I just love the deep colors of yours above. thanks for posting; I am looking forward to trying one later:)

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    1. I used Libby's... I've never tried any other kind, but you could always add a few drops of food coloring next time. I hope you enjoy them, we sure did!

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    2. i used an organic brand from whole foods. usually use libby's i left the second batch in longer and looked darker. they were a hit. thanks and happy thanksgiving!!!

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  46. I've been making a full size pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, but only two of us enjoy this (I know, weird family, who doesn't LOVE pumpkin?), so it's really too much with all the other goodies we have. This will be perfect! The ingredients are very close to the full size recipe I use, including the gingersnaps and pecans - looking forward to trying this version!

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  47. Do you think I could make them with a regular mini cupcake pan?

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    1. Yes, of course. I would suggest lining the pan, doubling the recipe and increasing the bake time until they look set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center (maybe 25-28 minutes?).

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  48. Made these last night...AMAZING!!!! Everybody loved them...thanks for sharing your recipe!!!

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    1. I'm glad they were a hit! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!

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  49. Nuts! I should have looked at the comments first. A tassie pan is what I have and I'm in the middle of the recipe so off to the store for mini-cupcake wrappers. They may not be as pretty but I can imagine how frustrated I'd be if I couldn't get them out of the pan.

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