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Ingredients

Gingersnaps crust

  • About 22-25 Gingersnaps
  • 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick Unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup Light brown sugar packed
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 8 oz. package Kraft cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup Pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • ¾ -1 cup Confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup Heavy cream cold

Instructions

Make the gingersnap wafer crust:

  • Place the gingersnaps in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and with a meat tenderizer (or your hands) crush the gingersnaps until they form crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl and pour the melted butter, sugar, ground cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until the Gingersnaps are moistened and the texture resembles wet sand. Set aside while you make the cheesecake filling.

Make the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

  • To a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (a hand mixer and large bowl work here as well), add the cold cream cheese and pumpkin puree. Mix on medium/high until the mostly smooth, about 30 seconds or so. Add ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Mix for a few seconds to incorporate. Stop the mixer and add ¾ cup of confectioners’ sugar. Whisk on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is mostly mixed with the cream cheese mixture. Increase the speed to high and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes or so. Taste the filling and if you’d like a sweeter filling, add the remaining confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until that situation is sweet enough for you.
  • Add the heavy cream in 3 parts, allowing the heavy cream to thicken each time before each addition. Whip on high until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Transfer the pumpkin cheesecake filling to a large piping bag fitted with a star or round tip and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Don’t own a piping bag? Don’t sweat it. You can either pour the filling inside a Ziploc bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag, or spoon that situation. We’re easy here.

To assemble:

  • Grab 6, four ounce mini dessert bowls and your Gingersnap crumbs. Reserve about ¼ cup of the Gingersnaps crumbs and set aside. Line the bottom of each mini dessert bowl with a couple tablespoons of the Gingersnap crumbs and flatten with either a shot glass or with moistened fingers. Spoon or pipe pumpkin cheesecake filling into each dessert bowl and top with Gingersnaps crumbs.
  • Makes 6, four ounce desserts.