Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs* (about 20 cookies)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan)
- 15 oz. pumpkin puree (1 standard can)
- 8 oz. cream cheese (1 standard block)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
Steps
- 1
Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish with coconut oil. Set aside.
- 2
Make the gingersnap cookie crumbs. Place the gingersnap cookies in a food processor and process for about 1 minute until they turn into crumbs.
- 3
Add the cookie crumbs, butter, and coconut to a large bowl. Use a spatula (or your hands) to mix the ingredients together until the crust mixture holds its form.
- 4
Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared baking dish. Use a spatula to flatten the crust mixture evenly into the pan. The more tightly packed the mixture, the better.
- 5
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before adding the cheesecake filling. Keep the oven on while you make the filling.
- 6
Place all ingredients (except for the eggs) into a large bowl. Use a handheld mixture set on low/medium speed to mix together until smooth.
- 7
Add the eggs into the bowl with the pumpkin filling. Mix to incorporate the eggs into the filling on the lowest speed. Only mix until the eggs are *just* combined (careful not to over mix).
- 8
Pour the pumpkin filling over the crust. Make sure it's evenly spread out.
- 9
Bake until the center of the bars are gelatin-like, about 38-40 minutes.
- 10
Remove bars from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Once cool, transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.
- 11
Top with your favorite whipped cream and a dusting of gingersnap crumbs.