Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pots

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I did! I was lucky enough to host this year, and one of my favorite things about hosting is that I get to plan most of the menu! My favorite part of the day? Dessert of course. It has been well documented on this blog that I do not like to bake pies. So, other than my favorite pecan pie, I left the pie baking to the experts (my mother-in-law and sister-in-law!). But I still wanted to contribute something pumpkin, enter these Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pots.

I could have made any number of pumpkin-y things (pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin cake truffles, a pumpkin roll, pumpkin snickerdoodles, pumpkin cupcakes, just to name a few), but I loved the look and sound of these little desserts. A pumpkin cheesecake mixture is layered with toasted graham cracker crumbs, pecans and maple whipped cream. These were a huge hit on Thanksgiving day, and may just make another appearance at Christmas.

A note about the serving dishes, I used these dessert cups that I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and just did one layer. I got eight servings out of the recipe, but the original poster doubled up the layers in a different kind of dessert cup and got four servings. Just something to keep in mind when you are planning what to serve these in!

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pots

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or gingersnap cookie crumbs)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cold whipping cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 14 ounces pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional – a natural thickener)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 4 teaspoons real maple syrup
• 4 whole pecan halves

Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat, add the cracker crumbs and toast for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugars, 1/4 cup whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, spices and xanthan gum and mix well.

Divide the toasted graham cracker crumbs between your dessert bowls (you may not use all of them), top the cracker crumbs with the chopped pecans and gently push into the bottom of the bowls.

Transfer the pumpkin cheesecake mixture into a piping bag, or a large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Gently pipe into the dessert bowls on top of the graham cracker crumbs.

To make the maple whipped cream, pour the whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form, add the maple syrup and continue to beat until firm. Pipe or spoon the maple whipped cream onto the pumpkin cheesecake and garnish with whole pecans. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Source: Adapted from Good Life Eats.

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