I have to admit that I’ve never been a pumpkin pie fan. I think it’s been a texture thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin flavored breads, treats, etc. but pumpkin pie was never a favorite of mine. At Thanksgiving I always skipped that one and went for a slice of French silk or banana cream pie. 🙂
Okay, so why you ask? Because I think I’ve officially become a convert and I have these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars to blame. 😉 They are DELICIOUS! Layers of cheesecake and pumpkin pie over a graham cracker crust.. *swoon 😀
It may be the cheesecake layer that makes me love these so much OR the pumpkin layer that makes them extra special. Either way they were pretty darn good and I ate a second piece when no one was looking. Ha! Place a dollop of whipped cream over the top and talk about an amazing treat during the Fall season. I hope you give these a try soon, friends!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham crackers crumbs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Pumpkin Cheesecake Layers:
- 4 packages (8 ounces, each) cream cheese , softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Topping:
- whipped cream
- pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper; leaving about 1 inch of paper hanging over the sides.
- Crust: In a medium size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Press this mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside while making the cheesecake layers.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Layers: In the bowl of a stand-mixer, add the cream cheese and sugar. With the paddle attachment on, beat on low speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Spoon half of the mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
- Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Whisk until smooth. Carefully, spoon over mixture in pan.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until just set. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar allowing the cheesecake to slowly cool down for about 1 hour or so.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars. Top each bar with whipped cream and a dust of pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy!
I just absolutely love, love your blog. All of your recipes rock! This, as usual looks awesome and am trying it next week.
Ditto what Debi said. These bars can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
So glad to find this site. Gonna try the pumpkin bars:)