The sweet things

There was much sweetness in the house today. My MIL carries most of the weight with the Thanksgiving cooking (turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, two stuffings, many veggies and casseroles, cranberry sauce, more than I can list here). The rest of us pitch in with a veggie or side dish, and I’ve adopted dessert duty – with my sweet tooth, its a natural niche to fill.

The table usually has 15-20 around it, and the usual suspects are all there. Pumpkin pie. Pecan pie. Apple pie. Whipped creme. Then a few days ago I saw this recipe for Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake, and I was drooling before I got to “Gingersnap”. This recipe had to find its way into my day.

But cheesecake is so heavy. After a big eating day do we really want to make people decide between a slice of heavy cheesecake or a slice of pie? Then there’s the whole transportation thing, and cheesecake isn’t the easiest thing to take and bring home. Because with 4 deserts for 18ish people, there’s going to be some bringing home. (I tried leaving it all one year, and while the recipients seemed pleased with the outcome, my house was a cold, dessert-less place come midnight.)

So what’s a baker to do? Well, let them eat tarts. Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake tarts.

I pretty much used the recipe there, but not really. No pecans – nuts are an underapreciated aspect of my palate. And I knew that any cheesecake with 4 blocks of creme cheese was going to be a huge cheesecake, so I cut the recipe to 3/4’s. And in case a few people were not caramel fans (baby sis assures me not everyone is) I made half with chocolate chips instead of caramel. Since they are tarts (hint – make in muffin pans) they only need to bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the depth of your pan.

They were well received. And I may be going out on a limb here that since my pies disappeared at the usual rapid rate, and then people came back for the cheesecake for their second dessert round – and their third – but I think these are going to have to become a staple of my Thanksgiving cooking.

Recipe below – and much thanks to PW for the original recipe, modified here for individual muffins.
Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake
(modified from PW’s Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecake)
((Cook in Muffin Tins))

Crust:
8 ounces storebought gingersnaps
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash of salt

Filling:
3 packages cream cheese
1.125 cups sugar
12 ounces of a can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 jar caramel topping

In a food processor (or large ziploc bag) crush gingersnps. Add melted butter, brown sugar, and salt, and pulse (or mix) until thoroughly combined.
Press into bottom of mufin tin (I sprayed the pans with Pillsbury’s Crisco / Flour baker spray first). Chill crust / pans for 20-30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and spices and mix again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each addition. Add cream and mix until just combined.

Remove crust from fridge. Pour a tablespoon of caramel topping in the center each cup of the muffin tin crusts. Try to keep it in the center – if it spreads to the edges, it will be much harder to remove from the pan. Gently pour cheesecake filling in muffin pan cups to almost full. Even out the top with a flat spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until no longer soupy. Cheesecake should still be somewhat jiggly. Cool on counter for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, cover and chill cheesecake for another two hours or overnight.

Remove rim from pan (a spoon seemed to work best) and slice. Sprinkle each tart with extra crushed gingersnaps, offer with more caramel, and serve.

(I substituted chocolate chips for caramel in half of them – they were much easier to remove from the pan, and actually disappeared faster than the caramle ones – probably because they were prettier? But I didn’t think they had quite as much yummy sweetness as the caramel ones did.)