Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

You didn’t think I’d go through the fall season without sharing at least one pumpkin spice recipe did you? After all, pumpkin spice season is in full swing & I am here for it! There are not many things I won’t try to incorporate a little pumpkin in this time of year, and cheesecake is a must.

Cheesecake is certainly an intimidating dessert to make at home, but these cheesecake bites take all the stress out of baking a full cheesecake from scratch. No stressing over different oven temperatures, a spring form pan, cooling in stages & worrying about those dreaded cracks! Making them into bite size treats will ensure they come out perfect every single time. Plus, they are easy to serve & make for a wonderful autumn dessert to deliver to friends.

One of the key factors to ensuring the best possible cheesecake is to use ALL room temperature ingredients. A step that must not be skipped. Take the eggs & cream cheese out at least two hours before you plan to make these cheesecake bites. It will yield a much smoother batter without streaks of cream cheese.

Lastly, always use full-fat boxed cream cheese. The cream cheese that comes in plastic containers is whipped & will yield a much different texture. For the caramel sauce I opted for store bought for simplicity, but if you are feeling adventurous a homemade caramel would be amazing too. These are good for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, making them my number one choice for a make-ahead dessert. Ok, let’s get baking!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

For the curst:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 2 8-ounce bricks full-fat plain cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 pinch fine salt
• Caramel sauce, for topping
• Whipped cream, for topping
• Pumpkin seeds, to garnish

Directions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325(f) degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
2. To a mixing bowl add the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar & butter. Stir until combined.
3. Evenly divide the crust amongst the prepared muffin pan. Press down crust to shape & flatten. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters mix together the cream cheese & sugar until combined. Add the eggs & egg yolk one at a time, scraping down the edges of the bowl after each addition.
2. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice & salt. Beat until smooth. Evenly divide the mixture amongst the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner roughly 3/4 of the way full. Tap pan on counter to remove any air bubbles from the batter.
3. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the centre of the cheesecake puffs & has a slight jiggle.
4. Let cool completely before topping with caramel sauce, a dollop of whipped cream & a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.