Pumpkin Cheesecake

And here is yet another fool-proof recipe from the Martha Stewart website. I know. Enough already. There's a lot of Martha haters out there.

This recipe was extremely simple. It was actually my first cheesecake, which I was anxious about, I've always thought cheesecake could be one of those things you could really screw up. Alas, I was successful! And it'll be a great alternative to pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner...

It killed me to not open the door while it was sitting (unfortunately I'm one of those who always needs to do what I'm told not to), but I didn't, and I think this is what prevented the top from cracking.

The pumpkin taste was subtle and the texture was perfect.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

From Martha Stewart

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 packages (8 oz. each) bar cream cheese, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp. AP flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assmble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into the bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).

Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

Welcome Fall!

Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons. There's something so special about the changing colors and gradually changing temperatures. I am fortunate that I live in a place where the summer generally hangs on and on, today was 27 degrees! However nice the days are, the nights are getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Fall is homey and comforting.

I've started to really love pumpkin, which I'm happy about, because I feel like it's one of those things that I 'should' like. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and now even Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes. Seriously, first year ever that I've been able to drink one. However, maybe that's a bad thing, because now I can't stop drinking them!

I've adapted this recipe from two different ones that I've been looking at, trying to get the taste just the way I like it. I've been playing with spice combinations so they would taste like pumpkin pie, by using, you guessed it, pumpkin pie spice. A favorite spice combination of mine, that I don't get to use nearly enough. The cookie is light and fluffy, with almost a cake-like texture. And they are BIG and FAT!

With pumpkin as the base for the wet ingredients, I don't think they're too bad as far as calories. Maybe I'll have an easier time justifying these than the lattes.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

By Dulce Doll

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla, beating well between each addition.

Add flour to wet ingredients in batches, mixing well to incorporate after each addition. Mix in the chocolate chunks.

Using a 1/4-cup measuring spoon, drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookie tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.