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Pumpkin Cheesecake bars with a brown butter gingersnap crust
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Creamy, sweet, and perfectly spiced these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are 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 84 grams
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar 25 grams

Cheesecake

  • 24 ounces cream cheese room temp
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch 24 grams
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin 170 grams
  • 1/4 cup sour cream 57 grams
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
  • 3 eggs

Topping

  • 1 cup heavy cream 227 grams
  • 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. Let butter 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! In a large bowl add, the cream cheese and sugar. Mix on medium speed with a handmixer (you can also do this is a stand mixer fitted with a paddle atatchment) mixture until it is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in pumpkin puree and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a nonstick spatula. Add in sour cream, vanilla, and eggs. Mix again until smooth.
  • 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 cool 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 by swirling in dollops, 1 tablespoon at a time, on top of the whipped cream.