MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKES

These single-serve pumpkin and gingersnap ricotta cheesecakes are baked in muffin tins. Serve them as a fun Thanksgiving alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.

Yield: Makes 10.

MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKES

Ingredients

  • ​1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 10 gingersnaps or spice cookies (about 2 1/2 inches each)
  • Maple Whipped Cream*

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
  2. To prepare filling, place icing sugar, pumpkin, ricotta cheese, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger in a food processor; process until smooth.
  3. Spoon filling into each of 10 paper-lined muffin cups, dividing equally. Top filling in each muffin cup with 1 gingersnap.
  4. Bake until filling is set, about 30 - 35 minutes. Cool cheesecakes completely in pan on a rack. Remove from pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  5. To serve, remove cheesecakes from paper liners and place, gingersnap side down, on individual serving plates. Top with Maple Whipped Cream.
Nutritional analysis per cheesecake:

160 calories, 3.2 g fat, 3.9 g protein, 29.9 g carbohydrate, 1.2 g fibre, 78 mg sodium

*Ingredient not included in nutritional analysis.

Tip:

Alternatively, Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes may be baked in 6 small (4 oz) mason jars. 

Preheat oven to 300 F. Prepare the filling as above. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each jar. If the cookie is too large to fit, break into 2 or 3 pieces and place in the bottom of jar, overlapping slightly, push down lightly to flatten. Spoon prepared filling over each cookie base. Place jars in 9 X 11 inch cake pan, pour in enough hot tap water to come halfway up sides of jars. Bake on the middle rack of oven for 25-30 minutes or until filling is just set. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM

Ingredients

  • ​1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Yield: Makes about 2 cups.

Directions

  1. Using medium speed of an electric mixer, beat cream until stiff. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla and ginger just until blended.
Nutritional analysis per 1 tbsp serving:

29 calories, 2.8 g fat, 0.2 g protein, 1.1 g carbohydrate, 0 g fibre, 3 mg sodium

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