Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and pumpkin pie is a standard dessert for the American population for this holiday.  I am not a fan of pumpkin pie....the flavors are nice, but the consistency is gross to me.  I believe I made this for the first time two years ago for a food day at the bank in KS....they were my guinea pigs since I had never made it before.  It had rave reviews and lots of people asked for the recipe.  I made another one about a week later to share with my family for the holiday and now I make it every year.  My hubby likes the pie, so if he really wants it, he can make it, but I will always make the cheesecake.  Here is the picture, and the recipe.  Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! :-)

Mmmm!!  One of my favorite cheesecakes. :-)

Ingredients:

·         1 ½ cups crushed gingersnap cookies

·         1/3 cup butter, melted

·         2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened

·         ¾ cup white sugar, divided

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         3 eggs

·         1 cup canned pumpkin

·         ¾ tsp ground cinnamon

·         ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies and butter.  Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides, of a 9 inch springform pan.  Bake crust 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Set aside to cool.

2.      In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla extract just until smooth.  Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each one.  Set aside ¾ cup of the mixture.  Blend ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the remaining mixture.

3.      Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, and drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top.  Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.

4.      Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan.  Allow to cool before removing pan rim.  Allow cheesecake to cool completely before chilling at least 4 hours before serving.