Page 32

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.)