Pumpkin Cheesecake!

I wanted to try something new this Thanksgiving. I usually make exactly two pies: pumpkin and pecan. Facebook also cheerfully reminded that five years ago for Thanksgiving I made two pumpkin pies, two pecan pies, cranberry sauce, and a sweet pumpkin dip. This year brought about a stressful week right before Thanksgiving, and I asked my mom if I could be free of pie duty this year. She was happy to take on our pumpkin and pecan pies so that tradition could continue and to help me out.

But I can't stay away from baking for long. I soon found myself wondering if maybe I should try that Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe I'd been saving for weeks from FoodNetwork.com. I'd purchased all the ingredients (twice) and still had yet to make it. I thought maybe Thanksgiving would be the perfect time.  Maybe baking would be the ultimate stress reliever as it had been for me in years past. And so I threw it together, following the Pumpkin Brulee Cheesecake recipe fairly closely but with my own style, and enjoying the whole process.

Ingredients:

8 sheets of graham crackers (honey, not cinnamon)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar (light)
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup low fat Greek yogurt
2 eggs
2 egg whites
15 ounces (one can) pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour again)
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mash your graham crackers into tiny pieces and crumbs (I placed the graham crackers in a plastic baggie and then mashed them with a meat mallet, carefully so as not to hurt the counter). Pour graham cracker crumbs into a bowl and mix in 1 Tablespoon of white sugar, 1 Tablespoon melted butter, and 2 Tablespoons water. Mix until the graham crackers are moistened and can be pressed into the bottom of a pie tin. I like to press mine in with a plastic baggie over my hand lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

2.) Bake the pie crusts 10 minutes and set aside to cool completely. Then in a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, and salt. Beat in the yogurt, egg, and egg whites. This can all be about medium speed. Lower the speed and add pumpkin, flour, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Keep the speed low, then stir with a spatula to fully combine.

3.) Pour the batter over the cooled crusts and bake in the center rack for about an hour (check about five minutes before to make sure it's not burning too much). Place on a trivet to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

4.) Top with whipped cream or other toppings of your choice. I skipped the actual "brulee" part of the original recipe (lacking a torch) and went for a whipped cream border instead!

Thanksgiving was a great success with the immense help of my mom, the help of my brother, and my small pie contribution. It held together, didn't taste overdone (despite the browning on top) and was a delicious dessert to enjoy with family!