When it comes to trends, I’m usually a late adopter. I tend to go my own way and do my own thing. I figure if everybody’s doing it, there’s a good chance it’s not actually that great. I don’t know. I’m a dedicated weirdo. Sometimes it helps me avoid silliness like The Spice Girls, Real Housewives, and kale. Other times, it keeps me from experiencing something awesome. Can you believe I didn’t read Harry Potter until 2001. All those years I could have spent at Hogwarts, but I was too busy being too cool. What an idiot.
This pumpkin spice trend, though? I jumped right on board. And I intend to stay on board even after the ship sails because it’s awesome. I love the warm wintry spices and the sweetness of the pumpkin. The moment they start selling pumpkin spice at Starbucks, I’m ordering a pumpkin spice chai every chance I get.
These Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are perfect for sharing and ideal for transport. The crust is a whole gingersnap cookie that softens up when you bake the cheesecakes. Add a dollop of whipped cream, and you’ve got a delightful dessert that you could be proud to serve at any holiday party from Halloween to Christmas. They’re elegant, adorable, and delicious.
Sometimes things actually become trendy for a good reason. Get on the Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake ship. We’re sailing all the way to awesome town.
- 18 gingersnap cookies
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Caramel whipped cream for topping
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and line 18 cups of your muffin tins with your favorite papers. Place a whole gingersnap in the bottom of each paper.
- Beat together the cream cheese, both sugars, and salt with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Finally blend in the sour cream, pumpkin, and spices. Beat until smooth.
- Divide your cheesecake batter evenly between 18 cups. Go ahead and fill them almost to the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until there's no wobble left. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is fine.
- Top your tiny cheesecakes with caramel whipped cream if you can find it. Plain is fine, too. Either way, have fun.
- You can replace the spices with with a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice if you have it, or swap out other similar spices based on what you have in your collection.
