Pumpkin cheesecake bites with ginger cookie crust

Small treats with big flavour!

When I made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year, I had about a cup of pumpkin purée left over so I decided to freeze it. I kept wondering what to do with it…Soup? Ravioli? Muffins? Then this idea popped into my head, and it proved to be a wildly successful experiment. Here is my family’s favourite ginger cookie dough recipe; feel free to use a small quantity of your favourite cheesecake crust, if you prefer. If you’re looking for other ideas to use up leftover pumpkin purée, check out my pumpkin pie waffles, spiced pumpkin spread or my pumpkin pie parfaits.  

Ingredients

Crust

• 5-6 tablespoons (2.5-3 oz / 75-90 g) unbaked ginger cookie dough

Cheesecake

• 1/2 cup (113 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (47 g) homemade or canned pumpkin purée (not seasoned pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg (1/2 egg)
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons (26 g) brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons (16 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon each cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice
• whipped cream, to serve

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• To make the crust, divide cookie dough into 1 teaspoon portions and press into the bottom of 16 compartments of a flexible silicone mini muffin pan (or use a regular mini muffin pan and paper liners). Place pan on a sturdy baking sheet.
• Bake crusts for 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and press down lightly on inflated crusts to make more room for cheesecake filling.
• While crusts bake, beat together with a whisk or immersion blender the cream cheese, pumpkin, sour cream, egg, vanilla and brown sugar in a medium bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, cornstarch and spices; stir until evenly blended. Add sugar mixture to cream cheese mixture and beat until very smooth. 
• Pour cheesecake batter over top of cookie crusts, filling compartments to the top.
• Bake 15 minutes; let cool on a rack for 30 minutes then transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 90 minutes.
• Gently remove cheesecake bites from silicone pan and place on a serving plate. Keep refrigerated until serving time; top with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 16 mini cheesecakes; recipe can be multiplied.