Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Snap Streusel

Photo by Cooking Light

Source: Combo of Cooking Light's Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pumpkin-Streusel Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are best when they're made ahead of time. You can prepare this one up to three days before the party; just cover and chill it until time to serve.

Crust:
3/4 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 12 cookies, finely crushed)
1 tablespoon light butter, melted
Cooking spray

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of allspice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 8 cookies, finely crushed)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon light butter

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare piecrust, combine 3/4 cup crumbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter in a bowl, and toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 5 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (granulated sugar through vanilla), beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin; beat well. Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust. (I do all of this in the food processor. I turn it out into a bowl before pouring into the crust so that I can make sure everything is mixed thoroughly. I find that the food processor is much better at getting out all the lumps.)

Bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until almost set. (Cheesecake is done when the center barely moves when pan is touched.) I mistakenly put the streusel on at the beginning of the baking time which actually worked quite well. However, it covers up any cracks better if you put it on later.

To prepare streusel topping, combine 1/2 cup crumbs, 1/4 cup flour, and brown sugar in a small bowl; cut in 1 tablespoon light butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over cheesecake. and bake an additional 10 minutes or until set.

When cheesecake is set, remove from oven and cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours. (Overnight or a day or two in advance it best - the flavors really come together over time.)

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 256(34% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 5.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 11.4g; CHOLESTEROL 86mg; CALCIUM 172mg; SODIUM 479mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.3g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2000

I talked about this recipe HERE.