Hey guys, do you think I like Thanksgiving? LOLLLL. I went a little HAM this year, I’ll admit but there’s really no better feeling than seeing you all make my recipes and share them with your friends and families. My heart is so full and I also feel like I could sleep for 72 hours straight.. Thank god for @baketheedgeoff for being the absolute angel she is and creating this amazing Thanksgiving dessert for me. I feel like she just gets me with this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sea Salt Caramel. BLESS YOU SIRENNA!

Enjoy the recipe and I hope it makes a sweet ending to your BYB Thanksgiving xx

Ingredients

9 ounces ginger snap cookies
1 stick butter melted
4- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
caramel sauce
sea salt
pecans optional

Instructions

Leave out cream cheese and eggs on counter for 30 minutes to an hour.
Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor pulse cookies until finely ground. Then transfer to a medium sized bowl. Microwave butter for 1 minute and then pour over cookie mixture until crumbs are evenly coated. Texture should be consistency of wet sand. Press into the bottom of pan. You can use a knife or off set spatula to make bottom evenly smooth. Place in freezer until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a large baking sheet filled with 2 inches of water in the bottom rack to get warm while oven is preheating. This will create steam during the baking process and help your cheesecake bake evenly. Leave this pan inside the oven while cheesecake is baking.
In a stand-up mixer with paddle attachment, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stopping to scrape down the sides. Add eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporate into batter before adding the other. Scrape down the sides as needed between each egg. (I like to whisk each egg separately first in a small bowl and add into the mixture this way- this ensures I don’t over beat the batter which prevents cracking on top.)
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin and pumpkin spice until smooth. Add 1/2 cheesecake filling into pumpkin mixture. Fold mixture until combined with a spatula.
Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pan and then place in freezer for 15 minutes. Then add the rest of the plain batter on top. Smooth top out with knife. Tap the pan on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
Place springform pan on top of baking sheet to catch any butter that leaks out. Place on rack directly on top of the one with the water in it. Leave in oven for 70 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the center has a small jiggle. Do not open the oven during baking.
Leave oven door propped open for one hour with cheesecake inside. This will help it to continue cooking. Wrap cheesecake completely and place in fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.
Once ready to serve, top with caramel sauce (I used store bought and flaky sea salt to top). You can also add any additional toppings you want for decor, I used pecans!