About the Recipe
This is a fun dessert to bring to a holiday gathering as an alternative (or in addition) to traditional pumpkin pie. It’s a cross between a cheesecake and a pie with five layers of goodness: a crispy shortbread base, a light pumpkin cheesecake filling, a tangy vanilla sour cream layer and a topping of crunchy toffee. The final flourish? A drizzle of caramel sauce, because you only live once.
I developed this recipe for my cookbook Pumpkin It Up! (Gibbs Smith, Publisher), which has 75 sweet and savory recipes using pumpkin. The preparation is easy, but I suggest you begin the day before you plan to serve it so you have ample time for baking and chilling.
The Crust
Crumbled shortbread cookies form the base of this dessert. The crumbs are combined with melted butter, and I like to use salted butter for that delightful sweet-salty flavor combination. You can also substitute crumbled graham crackers for a more traditional crust, or crushed gingersnaps if you prefer a spicier flavor.
The Two-part Filling
The first layer of filling is made of cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar and spices, blended and whipped until light and creamy. After baking, it’s topped with a sweetened vanilla sour cream layer.
The Toffee Topping and an Inspired Mistake
Chopped toffee bits form the next crunchy layer. You can use Heath bits that come in the bag, or get Heath or Skor bars and chop them in fine pieces. For pure toffee flavor, you can buy Werther’s Original Caramel Hard Candies and smash them with a hammer or rolling pin into small bits. (Smashing hard candy has the added benefit of helping relieve stress.)
My original vision for this dessert was that when you cut it, you’d discover the ribbon of toffee inside. When the food stylist prepared the recipe to be photographed, however, she accidentally sprinkled the toffee bits on top. Her photo was so pretty that we decided to change the recipe rather than re-shoot the photo.
Caramel Sauce
You can use your favorite caramel ice cream topping, or you can be especially decadent and use authentic Dulce de Leche, which you can find right near the sweetened condensed milk in the grocery store. It’s thick, so you’ll probably need to warm it before drizzling.
Shall we start cooking? Here’s the recipe:
Pumkin Crunch Cheesecake
1 3/4 cups crushed shortbread cookies
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) or 1 7/8 cups cooked pumpkin puree
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 7 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) or 1 7/8 cups cooked pumpkin puree
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 7 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs, cornstarch, cinnamon, and ginger; beat well. Pour into crust. Bake until edge is set but center still moves slightly, about 60 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla; mix well. Spread over warm cheesecake and sprinkle with the toffee bits. Return to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until filling is firm. Remove springform pan side and drizzle with caramel topping just before serving. Makes 10 servings.
There’s more to pumpkin than lattes and pies, so Pumpkin It Up! is here to help you discover sweet and savory ways to pumpkin up every meal. With both traditional favorites and unexpected twists, these recipes will please even the pickiest of pumpkin eaters. Stock your spice rack with Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, keep breakfast classic with Pumpkin Pancakes, liven up dinner with Pumpkin Tortilla Soup, and tempt yourself with Pumpkin Tiramisu for dessert. Whatever your pumpkin craving is, you’re covered!
Recipe excerpt from Pumkin It Up! by Eliza Cross. Photography by Susan Barnson Hayward. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.
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