I don’t care how basic it is. I love pumpkin everything. There, I said it and there’s no shame in my game. Lattes, bread, cookies, pasta, you name it and chances are I’ve made it and devoured it. But of all of the pumpkin treats I’ve made, these mini pumpkin cheesecakes are by far my favorite.
Unlike traditional cheesecake that is labor intensive, requires a water bath and takes forever to bake, these mini cheesecakes take 30 minutes in the oven, have a super simple ingredient list and bake in cupcake tins. So easy!
We were having friends over for the Steeler’s game on Sunday so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a batch.
I’ve been making these for years with all sorts of flavor combinations using different fillings and cookies as the crust. For this batch, I used Goodie Girl’s seasonal Caramel Apple flavored cookies with pumpkin spice filling and whipped topping. They were to die for and the Goodie Girl cookies worked wonderfully. They had great crunch, and the caramel apple flavor added a really nice tart kick.
If your store doesn’t carry the caramel apple flavor, I think their toffee crunch or even chocolate chip cookies would work well also.
If you are looking for an easy fall treat that is perfect for parties, give these a try!
Ingredients (Prep Time: 15 min. TotalTime: 50 min. Serves: 15):
For the Crust:
- 1 box Goodie Girl Caramel Apple Cookies (about 2 cups of crumbs)
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
For the Filling:
- 12 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
For the Whipped Topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners (you will need 15).
- In a food processor, pulse cookies until they are fine crumbs. Add in melted butter and pulse until well incorporated.
- Distribute cookie mixture among cupcake tins (about 2 tablespoons per tin) and press into the bottom. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until they just start to brown.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, greek yogurt, sugar, egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree until smooth.
- Distribute cheesecake mixture evenly among cupcake tins. Bake for 25 minutes until the middle isn’t jiggly and the top has browned a tiny bit. Once removed from oven, let them cool completely.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until peaks just start to form. Then, mix in cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin spice until they are well incorporated and smooth.
- Serve cheesecakes with a generous dollop of whipped topping and enjoy this delicious, seasonal treat!
I Don't Eat No Wheat 