Pumpkin Cheesecake

With Thanksgiving just a few days a way I thought I would give you a few last minute dessert ideas this week. This was actually my dessert contribution last year. I first made this for an annual get together that we have with friends just before Thanksgiving every year and it was a huge hit! I was combing the internet and my cookbooks for the perfect pumpkin cheesecake recipe last year, and I ended up just combing a few into this one. It uses my basic cheesecake recipe, plus just a few extra ingredients. This is easily one of the best cheesecakes I make! I usually use about 3/4 of a can of pumpkin because I don’t want it to be too overpowering, and personally I think it is just right. If you want a really strong pumpkin flavor go ahead and use the entire can. I hope this makes it to a few dinner tables on Thursday. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake
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Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2 cup sugar

Filling:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
¾ of a 15 oz can of pumpkin (more or less to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter, mixing with a fork. Press into bottom and slightly up sides of a 9 inch springform pan and place in oven for 5 minutes. In a medium sized bowl beat together cream cheese and sugars. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add pumpkin, then cinnamon, ground nutmeg and cloves. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure all of the ingredients get fully incorporated. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Place springform pan on rimmed baking sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for approximately 60 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes at room temperature, then place in refrigerator for several hours to cool fully before serving.