When the first day of fall recently arrived at American Greetings, we did what we always do so well—we celebrated! This time it took the shape of a fun Fall Fest—food, cider, decorations, and all! Our Social Media Team wanted to share our fun with you by posting some “behind-the-scenes” photos on Instagram that day:
If you saw the post, you probably also noticed some lovely mini pumpkin cheesecakes on the right-hand side of the picture. So many of you commented on them that we asked our social media writing expert and resident baking maven, Maria Isabella, to share her mini pumpkin cheesecake recipe with you!
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt
Makes 12 servings
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 egg plus 1 egg white, slightly beaten
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
Powdered sugar, to taste
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 12-cavity mini cheesecake pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients until well combined. Divide evenly between the 12 cups. Press crumbs firmly on bottom and a third of the way up sides of each cup. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, blend all filling ingredients together until smooth. Spoon evenly into each crust-lined cup.
- Bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool for 20 minutes. Carefully remove cheesecakes from pan. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, combine all topping ingredients in a chilled bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Place a dollop on each cheesecake.
Enjoy and Happy Fall!
In addition to writing for American Greetings, Maria is also a published, award-winning cookbook author. Her book, In The Kitchen With Cleveland’s Favorite Chefs, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million and Kent State University Press. Follow her blog at www.mariasbitsandpieces.com.
