Queens Eats: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

This article was written by Erin Walsh.

Happy day-after Thanksgiving.

As you read this, you’re probably so stuffed full of turkey that the last thing that you want to think of is another food item. But, then again, who doesn’t want dessert? Especially if said dessert contains that quintessential autumnal ingredient—pumpkin.

Rather than make that prosaic Thanksgiving dessert—pumpkin pie—I decided to make pumpkin cheesecake bars, cheese in my mind being one of the primary food groups.

These bars are easy to make and provide a nice mixture of flavors. Instead of using pecans, I made my own graham cracker crust by substituting graham crackers in the recipe for nuts. Try these next time you need to bring a dessert to a holiday gathering and want something slightly unexpected.

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (Source: Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Mix flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture until small crumbs form. Stir pecans into the crumbs. Set 3/4 cup of the mixture aside for topping the bars, press remainder of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake crust in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Beat cream cheese, white sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla extract, allspice, and cinnamon together in a bowl until smooth. Pour over the cooled crust. Sprinkle reserved topping over the cream cheese mixture.

5. Return dish to oven and continue baking until the topping browns, 30 to 35 minutes.