Yes, Thanksgiving is over, but there’s still time to squeeze in baking some Fall-ish goodies before the Christmas onslaught begins. My family always gathered in the traditional way for Turkey Day, replete with roasted bird, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy and of course green beans. This year however, being a much smaller group, the plan was to go totally avant garde with grilled steaks and a vegetable casserole. The one traditional component we couldn’t bear to part with was a pumpkin dessert. However, here too we approached it a different way. And it turned out to be easy to make and satisfying to all – pumpkin cheesecake muffins. Give these a try while there’s still time to enjoy a taste of Fall.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Ingredients
For the crust
7 graham full crackers or a mix of graham and gingersnaps
1 ½ tbsp light brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
12~ muffin liners
For the filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Sprinkle of salt
Preparation
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin. With liners. Process the crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the sugar and salt & continue to pulse until combined. Drizzle with melted butter and process until the crumbs are moist. Scoop a heaping tablespoonful of this mix into each muffin. liner. If there is excess, use it to line additional muffin liners or a mini tart pan. Press the crumbs using the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
For the filling: Beat cream cheese, sugars, maple syrup with a mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl, lower mixer speed and add in eggs until just combined. Beat in pumpkin, vanilla, spices, cornstarch and salt. Divide the filling mixture evenly. The cups should be ¾ full. Bake 10-12 minutes until mixture is set but still a little jiggly in the center. Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.
