No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust!

This delicious and easy dessert is a favorite in our family!

We make it every year for Thanksgiving!

And the Gingersnap crust takes it to the next level!

** Note: due to a lack of molasses, I had to make these using maple syrup which resulted in much lighter cookies, using molasses as the recipe calls for will make the well know dark colored gingersnaps!**

** DISCLAIMER**
The cheesecake itself is no-bake however the cookies do require baking- you can make this with graham crackers or store-bought gingersnaps to make it truly no-bake, but the cookies are totally worth it if at all possible!

Supplies

What you need!

(Gingersnap recipe credit to Sugar spun run!)

For the Crust
1 Batch Gingersnaps Cookies ( recipe follows)
+ 1/3-1/2c melted butter
+ 1/4c granulated sugar
+ 1/2t ground ginger (optional)

For the Filling
1 No-bake pumpkin cheesecake (recipe follows)
+ Extra whipped cream and cinnamon for garnish

Makes - 1 9” Cheesecake
Servings - 12

Step 1: Recipe Notes!

Just a few tips and suggestions before getting started!

For the Cookies/Crust
- Cook them until very crisp.
- Don’t chill your dough-it allows them to spread resulting in extra crispy-ness.
- You can make the cookies up to 3 days in advance.
- When making the crust REALLY pack it together for a stable crust.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender, or a rolling pin and a doubled ziplock bag.
- Rolling dough in sugar is optional in this recipe.
- A springform pan is highly recommend for non-messy serving.
- You can bake the cookies at 350F for 10-15 minutes instead- however they are more likely to burn.
- Nutritional information is for cookies not for the crust (extra butter and sugar).

For the Filling
- Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature/slightly warmer so that is is not lumpy.
- To quickly warm up cream cheese put in a bowl of very warm-slightly hot water for 5 minutes.
- REALLY cream your cream cheese and sugars- an immersion blender works amazing for this-.
- You can substitute cool whip for whipping cream- in equal amounts.
- Allow cheesecake to cool/settle before serving even though it’s really hard to wait that long! (Overnight is best!).

Prepared Cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen (covered) for up to 2 weeks- serve slightly frozen for best results.
Although it probably won’t last that long!

Step 2: Making the Cookies!

The first step in making this amazing dessert is to make the cookies that will form the crust!

You want to make these anywhere from 45 minutes - 3 days before making the filling!

INGREDIENTS:

▢ 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch.
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ ¼ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
▢ Pinch ground black pepper 1/16 teaspoon
▢ 2 Tablespoons unsulphured molasses it should say “unsulphered” on the label
▢ 1 large egg yolk
▢ 2 Tablespoons whole milk**
▢ 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ Additional granulated sugar for rolling( optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 315F (155C).
2. Prepare sheet trays- either line with parchment paper or spray thoroughly.
3. In a large bowl, combine melted, cooled butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and black pepper). Stir well.
4. Add molasses, egg yolk, and milk and stir until completely combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
6. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until completely combined.
7. Scoop cookie dough into 2-teaspoon-sized portions. Roll between your palms until smooth and then roll through granulated sugar*.
8. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 2” apart.
Transfer to 315F (155C) oven and bake for 22 minutes.
9. Within a minute or two of cookies coming out of the oven, use the clean, flat, bottom of a glass to firmly press down on cookies to flatten.
10. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying. Once cooled they should be crisp and snappy (if the first batch isn’t crisp once cooled, bake subsequent batches for longer).

*Optional
** I’ve also used almond and evaporated milk and all work.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 42mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 2mg

Step 3: Making the Crust

Next we are making the amazing crust!

To make the crust is super easy!

INGREDIENTS

Gingersnaps
1/3-1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger(optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor pulse cookies until crumbled.
2. Add sugar, ginger and melted butter starting with 1/4 cup and adding more if still very dry- you want it to be dark and to form clumps. ( I switched to another bowl at this point due to the small size of my food processor).
3. Pour in pan and press outward making sure to get along edges thoroughly (I use a measuring cup for this.)
4. Chill in fridge while making filling!

Step 4: Making the Filling

The next step is to make the filling!

INGREDIENTS
16 oz softened Cream Cheese (2 bricks)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
15 oz Pumpkin Puree (1 can)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
16 ounce Heavy Whipping Cream (2 cups cream-4 cups cool whip)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, using either a hand mixer or an immersion blender, mix together cream cheese and sugars until completely smooth.
(Do not skip this step! It is what changes it from a good dessert to an AMAZING dessert!)

2. Add in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

3. In a separate bowl whip cream until stiff peaks form.

4. With a spatula or wooden spoon fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until well combined.

5. Pour into prepared crust, smooth out the top gently and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.

6. Garnish with cinnamon and whipped cream.

7. Enjoy!!