Pumpkin Cheesecake Day gets our vote
I decided early on that I wanted to do bars for National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day (Oct. 21). They’re handsier, for Halloween gatherings (not that we’re letting anyone into our houses these days, but they’re also easier eating as you enjoy AMC’s inevitable classic horror marathon — the more Vincent Price, the better) but even this take offers an array of options.
Eventually, you just have to throw a dart. I threw two. These bars are both really tasty, their flavor profiles similar — fall-seasonal spices and scents paired with creamy fillings and each with a nice, thick, buttery crust.
First, the crunchy, creamy, gooey version from Chelsea’s Messy Apron.
The unholy trinity of buttery-crunchy topping, buttery-salty caramel sauce and buttery-spicy cinnamon graham crust does a lot to make up for looks if necessary. The ugly ones would look great hot in a mug with vanilla ice cream before catching the express train to Tummy Town.
More sophisticated in appearance are the marbled bars from this New York Times recipe.
Mine didn’t come out with as lovely a color contrast, but the recipe was simple. I loved its light, fluffy texture, possibly the product of too high a setting on my mixer, incorporating more air into the filling than perhaps intended. Keep your setting low if you’re looking for results with more density.
What I especially loved was the gingersnap crust.
They are delicious, light, crispy and created a delicious, slightly zingy crust.
PUMPKIN CARAMEL CHEESECAKE BARS WITH A STREUSEL TOPPING
For the crust:
1 1/2 c. (10-11 sheets) cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (I pulverized them in the food processor)
1/4 c. white sugar
1 T. brown sugar
6 T. melted butter
For the cheesecake:
2 (8-oz.) packages full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (leave out at least an hour)
1/2 c. plus 2 T. white sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1/2 c. plus 2 T. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
For the streusel and topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 c. white flour
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, softened (not melted)
1 t. vanilla extract
Salted or plain caramel sauce for topping the bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper (leave an overhang on two sides to be able to pull out bars easily) and set aside.
In a bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix until “dough” forms. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake 8 minutes.
For the streusel, using the same bowl as the crust, stir together brown sugar, white flour, oats and cinnamon. Add in butter and vanilla. Mix until combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine cream cheese, (room temperature is important for smoothness, microwaving will give it a bumpy texture) sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs one at a time. Beat until combined.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of mixture and pour over prepared crust.
Add canned pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to remaining cheesecake mixture and stir until combined.
Being careful not to combine layers, gently pour the pumpkin layer on top of the plain layer. Top with streusel. Bake 30 minutes or until cheesecake is set. (Note: It took about 40 minutes in my oven.)
Allow to cool for about an hour. Refrigerate an additional 1-2 hours minimum before serving. Top each bar with caramel.
(Recipe courtesy of Chelseasmessyapron.com.)
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS
For the crust:
10 1/2 oz. gingersnap cookies (preferably the thin, Swedish variety, in which case that’s 2 boxes)
2 T. granulated sugar
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
For the filling:
1 1/2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
6 large eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
15-oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan, line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
To make the crust: In the food processor, pulse cookies until fine crumbs form (you will have about 2 1/2 cups of crumbs). Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl, stir in sugar and salt. Add melted butter and mix until evenly incorporated. Press crust into even layer in the base of prepared pan.
Bake until the crust has browned slightly and appears set, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
To make the filling: Clean food processor bowl and place cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar inside. Pulse until fully combined. Add eggs one at a time, pulsing until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Add vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Pulse until combined. If desired, reserve 1 cup cheesecake batter in a small bowl for making a swirl effect later.
Add pumpkin to remaining cheesecake batter, pulse until fully incorporated. Pour pumpkin cheesecake batter into cooled crust. If using, pour reserved white cheesecake batter over the pan in a slow, thin stream. Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to swirl. (If you pour too quickly, the white batter will sink inside the pumpkin layer.)
Bake until edges appear set and center appears slightly jiggly (Note: only very slightly!), 35-40 minutes. Cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, then refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours, up to overnight). Use a sharp knife to release edges and use parchment paper to carefully lift cheesecake from pan. Transfer to cutting board. Slice into 15 even pieces, wiping knife between cuts for the cleanest edges.
(Recipe courtesy NYT Cooking.)
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/37LCTDN
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