Everyone associates different foods, traditions and memories with every holiday that comes around. Thanksgiving is no exception, for most people when they hear Thanksgiving they automatically think pumpkin. A lot of people start breaking out the pumpkins to make pie and all sorts of stuff during the fall and sometimes through Christmas. This year I decided to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon and make quite a few things pumpkin.
I have made cookies, bars and a few other things; I got the recipes from a variety of different places. I was looking through an issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and the picture on the front caught my attention right off the bat. There was a picture of two different types of pies on the cover; Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake and then a Pumpkin Gingerbread Pie. Right when I saw the Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake I knew I had to make it. It has a lot of the different flavors I love in desserts; chocolate, cheesecake and pumpkin. Combine all of those flavors and it sounds like a winner.
I had been looking at the recipe for a while trying to figure out the right time to make it. I love making sweets but I don’t like making something that makes a ton just for Spencer and myself. I knew I wouldn’t make it for my families Thanksgiving becaues my dad takes care of the desserts for ours; so I knew that it would be a great thing to make for Spencer’s Thanksgiving.
This was a pretty easy recipe to make. There were a few little steps but nothing that was too overwhelming and nothing that took up too much time. To save some time I bought a deep dish pie crust that was premade that way all I had to worry about doing was the filling. The recipe for the batter for the pumpkin and cheesecake makes quite a bit. Even though I bought a deep dish crust (which is what the recipe calls for) I still had quite a bit of extra batter; probably enough for a second whole pie. I just poured the rest of the batter into a couple of smaller dishes and baked a crustless pie:). It worked out perfectly though, I was able to sample it before I took it. Since I had never made that recipe before that helped a lot; I would have been a nervous wreck otherwise.
All of the flavors blended together perfectly. One didn’t overpower the others; it was just the perfect blend of all of the flavors. I didn’t get a picture of a cut slice but the slices looked very pretty too; have the different layers stacked on one another.
On to the good stuff…
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 Deep Dish Pie Pastry
12 oz. cream cheese, softened (1-1/2 8-oz. pkgs.)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or miniature chocolate pieces
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half or light cream
Chopped chocolate (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare and roll out Deep Dish Pie Pastry. Transfer pastry to a 9-1/2- to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust edge 1/2-inch beyond pie plate. Flute edge high. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 6 minutes more or until golden. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
In medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg; beat on low speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture in cooled pastry shell. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate.
In bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice. Stir in 4 eggs. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Slowly pour pumpkin mixture on chocolate layer. To prevent overbrowning, cover pie edge with foil.
Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove foil. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hour. Top with chopped chocolate.
Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens
I like the combo of pumpkin and chocolate and this is a great way to combine the two!