Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Smooth and creamy pumpkin cheesecake made mini in a muffin pan. Complete with salted caramel sauce and a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust!
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust*
- 1 and 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (see note)
- 2 Tablespoons (23g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Filling
- 12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (115g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup (240ml) store-bought or homemade caramel sauce*
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with liners and a second 12-count muffin pan with only 4 (this recipe makes 16). Set aside.
- Make the crust: Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a medium bowl until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Press a heaping Tablespoon of mixture down into each liner, making sure the crust is tight and compact. You might have a little crust leftover. If so, press a little more into each liner—if desired! Pre-bake the crusts for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. On medium-high speed, beat in pumpkin, egg and egg yolk, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. On high speed, beat in sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until combined
- Pour the filling evenly into each crust.
- Bake until centers of pies only slightly jiggle, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cheesecakes cool at room temperature in the pan set on a wire rack. Once completely cool, place cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. The cheesecakes will slightly sink in the middle- that’s ok! It gives you room for the caramel. Feel free to toast the pecans for the topping as the cheesecakes cool. To toast, spread the chopped nuts on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 300°F (149°C).
- Once chilled, drizzle each with salted caramel sauce and garnish with pecans. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.