Ingredients
For the Gingersnap Crust
- 1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Pumpkin Filling
- 12 oz full-fat, brick-style cream cheese
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
Making the Crust
To prepare the crust, process the gingersnap cookies in your food processor until they become fine crumbs.
If you don’t own a food processor, you can crush the cookies by placing them inside a zip-top bag and using a rolling pin.
In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, cookie crumbs, and salt and mix together until it resembles “wet sand” (when you squeeze it, you should see that they stick together).
Depending on the dryness of your gingersnap cookies, you may need to add one more tablespoon of melted butter to your mixture to achieve the correct consistency.
Once you have made your mixture, firmly press it into both the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
You will want to tightly compress the crust so that it does not crumble when you cut into it later.
Place the pan into the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you prepare your filling.
Preparing the Filling
Combine the spices together now (in the small mixing bowl, mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and mace) so that you can incorporate them smoothly into your filling later.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on a medium speed, beat the cream cheese for approximately 2 minutes until it has become very soft and smooth.
You do not need to let the cream cheese soften before using it.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add both the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the cream cheese; mix for another 3 minutes until you can no longer see any granules of sugar and both sugars have completely dissolved into the cream cheese mixture.
Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and spices that you mixed together earlier into the cream cheese mixture and combine all ingredients together on low speed just until mixed.
Setting Up and Assembling the Cheesecake
Switch to the whisk attachment of your stand mixer and, with the mixer on medium-high, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream.
Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks.
Be careful not to over-whip, or the cream will start to separate and the filling will become grainy.
When the crust has cooled, scrape the cheesecake filling into the chilled crust, smooth the top of the filling with the offset spatula, cover with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours until firm; though the longer it sits (for example, overnight), the easier it will be to cut uniform, clean slices.
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Gingersnap Crust
- 1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Pumpkin Filling
- 12 oz full-fat brick-style cream cheese
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace optional
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Process gingersnaps into fine crumbs and mix with melted butter and salt until sandy.
- Press mixture firmly into 9-inch springform pan bottom and sides using measuring cup. Freeze 15 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese in stand mixer 2 minutes until smooth.
- Add both sugars, beat 3 minutes until dissolved.
- Mix in pumpkin puree, vanilla, salt, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves) until combined.
- Switch to whisk attachment, gradually add cold heavy cream on medium-high until stiff peaks form.
- Spread filling evenly in chilled crust.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
