Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
These delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are so creamy and much easier to make than a traditional cheesecake. A pumpkin spiced layer mixed with cheesecake overtop of a butter graham cracker crust, these cheesecake swirled pumpkin bars are going to be a hit with your family.
The cross between pumpkin pie and cheesecake, this Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars recipe is the best of both worlds! A rich cheesecake layer is swirled with a creamy layer made with pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree, this dessert is not only delicious but absolutely gorgeous to look at. No one will be reaching for pumpkin pie at your next Thanksgiving when you bring these pumpkin cheesecake squares!
If you’re looking for more cheesecake recipes, you definitely need to try my Cheesecake Brownie Fudge Bars and my Coconut Cheesecake Bars. They are super easy to make and oh so delicious.
Why You’ll Love These Cheesecake Pumpkin Pie Bars
- They’re pretty easy to make. There is no water bath needed to make these cheesecake bars. I repeat, no water bath! It’s definitely a lot easier than making a regular cheesecake.
- So rich and creamy. The cheesecake pumpkin swirl layer is so rich and creamy which is a really nice contrast to the graham cracker crust.
- They’re freezer friendly. Who isn’t going to love having a batch of these in the freezer for when cravings hit. Your future self will thank you for this!
What You’ll Need to make these Cheesecake Pumpkin Bars
For the Crusts:
- Graham crackers — finely crushed, do not leave any chunks
- Salt
- Granulated sugar– fine white cane sugar works
- Unsalted butter — melted
For the Pumpkin Layer
- Pumpkin puree– do not mess up and get pumpkin pie filling instead
- Heavy cream
- Eggs — room temperature
- Sugar– white cane sugar
- Vanilla extract– use pure vanilla extract
- Pumpkin spice– buy premade
For the Cheesecake Layer:
- Cream cheese — softened room temperature, make sure you get full fat and the blocks, not the tubbed cheese
- Sugar– white cane sugar
- Egg — room temperature
- Vanilla extract– use pure vanilla extract
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
- Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×9 pan with foil or parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides for easy removal once cooled. In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, salt, sugar, and melted butter. And then firmly press 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into the pan.
- Bake the crust: Bake the graham cracker crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Lower the oven temperature: Turn the oven down to 325F.
- Make the pumpkin layer: In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice. Pour the mixture on top of the cooled graham cracker crust.
- Make the cheesecake layer: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until fully combined and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and fully combine.
- Swirl the layers: Scoop spoonful’s of the cheesecake filling on top of the pumpkin layer. Use a knife to swirl the cheesecake filling into the pumpkin filling.
- Bake the pumpkin cheesecake bars: Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes (maybe more depending on your oven) or until only the center is slightly jiggly. Then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
- Chill and serve: Transfer cheesecake to the fridge until chilled. When cheesecake is fully chilled remove from the fridge and cut into 16 equal-sized bars.
Tips and Notes to make the Best Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
- It’s important to have your ingredients at room temperature or your cheesecake filling won’t be smooth. Cold cream cheese, especially, will make your batter lumpy. You may end up overmixing the cheesecake layer due to it.
- Be sure to use parchment paper so the cheesecake doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese. Also, do not use the spreadable cream cheese in a tub, be sure to use blocks of cream cheese. The light versions will make the batter too runny and it won’t set right.
- You can quickly crush your graham crackers by pulsing it in the food processor. If you don’t want to crush the graham crackers yourself, you can purchase it pre-crushed.
- Please take note of the change in temperature of the oven between baking the crust and the cheesecake! Do not forget to change the temperature.
- Pumpkin spice is a generally a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all spice, it can be found at your local grocery’s store spice aisle.
- Make sure you get pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cut the bars with a hot sharp knife for the bars to come out nice and clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
To see if your cheesecake is done, you can do the jiggle test! The center of the cheesecakes should jiggle slightly when they’re done. Not to worry, they firm up once out of the oven and cool.
Usually the middle of your cheesecake will sink down if there’s too much air in the batter. It’s important to not over-mix your batter and have room temperature ingredients, especially the cream cheese and eggs as mentioned above.
If you’ve forgotten to bring your cream cheese to room temperature, you can help speed up the process by cutting the bricks into smaller pieces and leaving it on your counter so it takes less time to warm up.
The pumpkin cheesecakes squares will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just be sure to store them in airtight containers so they don’t dry out in the fridge. But these bars are best consumed the day they are made.
If you’d like to freeze these cheesecake bars, do so after they’ve completely chilled. You can wrap up individual bars in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You can also wrap up the entire pan itself. Just be sure to wrap it up tightly. But these bars are best consumed the day they are made.
For the best results, thaw your pumpkin swirled cheesecake bars in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush, you can place it at room temperature until it’s no longer frozen.
You want to run a long sharp knife under hot water, then wipe clean before cutting into the cheese cake bars to come out nice and clean. You can also use unflavored dental floss to cute the cheesecake bars.
More Delicious Desserts You’ll Love
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Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
These delicious Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars are so creamy and much easier to make than a traditional cheesecake. A pumpkin spiced layer mixed with cheesecake overtop of a butter graham cracker crust, these cheesecake swirled pumpkin bars are going to be a hit with your family.
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Swirl:
Instructions
For the Crust:
-
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 9 pan with foil or parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides for easy removal once cooled.
-
In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
-
Firmly press the crumbs in the bottom of the pan.
-
Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Pumpkin Layer:
-
Turn the oven down to 325 F.
-
In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice.
-
Pour the mixture on top of the cooled graham cracker crust.
For the Cheesecake Swirl:
-
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until fully combined and smooth.
-
Add the egg and vanilla and fully combine. Scrape down the sides, if needed.
-
Scoop spoonfuls of the cheesecake filling on top of the pumpkin layer. Use a knife to swirl the cheesecake filling into the pumpkin filling.
-
Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes (maybe more depending on your oven) or until only the center is slightly jiggly.
-
Then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
-
Transfer cheesecake to the fridge until chilled.
-
When cheesecake is fully chilled remove from the fridge and cut into 16 equal-sized bars.
Notes
- It’s important to have your ingredients at room temperature or your cheesecake filling won’t be smooth. Cold cream cheese, especially, will make your batter lumpy. You may end up overmixing the cheesecake layer due to it.
- Cut the bars with a hot sharp knife for the bars to come out nice and clean.
- Make sure you get pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling.
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese. Also, do not use the spreadable cream cheese in a tub, be sure to use blocks of cream cheese. The light versions will make the batter too runny and it won’t set right.
- You can quickly crush your graham crackers by pulsing it in the food processor. If you don’t want to crush the graham crackers yourself, you can purchase it pre-crushed.
- Be sure to use parchment paper so the cheesecake doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Please take note of the change in temperature of the oven between baking the crust and the cheesecake! Do not forget to change the temperature.
- Pumpkin spice is a generally a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all spice, it can be found at your local grocery’s store spice aisle.
Nutrition
Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 291IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
This article was originally published by cookinwithmima.com. Read the original article here.
