Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with a Brown Butter Gingersnap Crust and Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

When it comes to fall desserts, pumpkin cheesecake has a special place in my heart. To be honest, I am not normally a cheesecake fanatic. However, THIS cheesecake is my favorite one I have ever eaten. It starts with a super simple crust that consists of pulverized gingersnaps and brown butter. Then you make a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling and bake the bars. Top the whole pan with a little whipped cream and salted caramel for a beautiful dessert.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Brown Butter Gingersnap Crust and Salted Caramel Whip Cream

Creamy, sweet, and perfectly spiced this pumpkin cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite fall recipes. The crust is made from crunchy gingersnaps and nutty brown butter. The whole bar is topped with a simple whipped cream and drizzled with salted caramel.

Servings 8

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Ingredients

Crust

• 210 grams gingersnaps a little less than 2 cups
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Cheesecake

• 24 ounces cream cheese room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 3 Egg

Topping

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup salted caramel

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° .Line an 8 x 8 square pan with parchment paper leaving overhang so that the paper will function as a sling to lift up the bars.
• Make the crust. In a small sauce, pan over medium heat place 6 tablespoons of butter. Ledbetter cook until it is foamy, and it begins to turn brown. Feel free to turn the heat to medium high if this is taking more than five minutes.
• Using a food processor, ground ginger snaps until small crumbs form. Pour crumbs in to a medium size bowl. Add all other crust ingredients and mix. If crust seems to dry add an additional 1 tablespoon of butter. Different brands of ginger snap cookies will have different moisture levels so you may need to do this..
• Bake crust for eight minutes at 350°. Remove crust from oven and let cool. Turn oven down to 325°.
• Make the cheesecake! And a large bowl cream, the cream, cheese and sugar mixture until it is light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add in pumpkin and mix. Add in sour cream, vanilla, and eggs. Mix.
• Add in dry ingredients and mix until smooth. There should be no lumps remaining.
• Pour batter on top of par baked crust.
• Bake cheesecake for about least 40 minutes, there should be a very slight jiggle in the center. Then, turn the oven off and prop the door of the oven open for 10 minutes while the cheesecake is inside the oven. This will allow the cheesecake to cool down slower than it would if taken directly out of the oven.
• After 10 minutes remove the cheesecake for the oven and let Cole in the fridge raider for at least four hours.
• If desired, whip the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Spread whip cream over cold cheesecake bars, and top with salted caramel