Page 32 of The Pine Ridge Community Cookbook (Pine Ridge Universe)
I ngredients for the cheesecake filling:
● ⒈／⒉ teaspoon ginger
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon clove
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon cardamom
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon nutmeg
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon allspice
● 2 teaspoons vanilla
Ingredients for the crust:
● 2 cups gingersnap crumbs (You can make homemade gingersnap cookies and crush them up, or just use a boxed brand. My family used to use Sweetzels spiced wafers, because they were cheap, and we were not affluent. Now that I bake, I make my own.)
● 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
●⒈／⒉teaspoon ground cinnamon
●⒈／⒋teaspoon ginger
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon nutmeg
● ⒈／⒋ teaspoon allspice
● Pinch of cloves (Be very light on the pinching! Too much clove will overpower.)
● 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Method:
● Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
● Combine gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, spices, and melted butter until you form a crumbly dough.
● Press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of the pans and tap down until you create an even layer.
● Pop these pans with the crust in the freezer for about twenty minutes while you make the filling.
● In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until it reaches the stiff peak stage (between 3-5 minutes). Be careful not to overbeat or you’ll end up with something like butter.
● Set the whipped cream aside. If you only have one stand mixer bowl (I only have one, but I want another one for Christmas), just scrape the whipped cream into a bowl and set aside. You don’t have to wash out the bowl, because you’re going to mix all of this together anyway.
● In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, pumpkin puree, white sugar, spices, and vanilla at medium speed until you get a beautiful, smooth mixture.
● Gently fold whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until evenly combined.
● Spread filling evenly into pie crust.
● Refrigerate until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
● When serving, I like to top with whipped cream, a gingersnap tucked into the whipped cream, and a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon. But I’m fancy like that when it comes to dessert. (Sometimes. Other times, I will eat peanut butter and chocolate chips off a spoon.)