Last spring, my organic seed supplier offered a special deal on pie pumpkin seeds. Naturally, I decided to grow pie pumpkins for the first year. The five vines I planted produced over 100 pounds of pie pumpkins. This left me with a problem: I can only eat so many pumpkin pies. I can only give my neighbors and friends so many pumpkin pies. I found pumpkins work well in butternut squash soup (something I’ve had a lot of lately), but I still needed something different. I recently found it: pumpkin cheesecake. I tried many recipes and finally came up with one of my own that I absolutely love.

A word of warning: if you bake the pumpkin cheesecake without a double boiler, it is likely to crack on the top. I’m fine with this; I think it adds to the rustic, homey look. If cracking is a problem, you should use a traditional Bain Marie, or water bath, and extend the baking time by 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Cortex:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

4 ounces melted butter

Filling:

One small to medium pie pumpkin (you will need to make 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of pumpkin puree)

24 ounces cream cheese (cultured cream cheese adds the best flavor, if you can get it)

3 whole chicken eggs plus one yolk

1/4 cup whole sour cream

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

Addresses

Heat your toaster oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the pie squash in half and remove the seeds and stringy stuff. Rub each half lightly with the oil of your choice. Bake until completely soft, this should take about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out the pulp of the squash and puree it in your food processor. Set aside.

Turn your toaster oven down to 350 degrees F.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground buttermilk, and 4 ounces melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix well. Press into bottom of greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside.

Place cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the beater paddle. Beat until completely smooth. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating between each addition. Add sour cream, beat again. Add sugar, beat again. Add the brown sugar, beat again. Add cinnamon, mace, cloves, sea salt, flour, and pure vanilla extract. Beat again.

For the filling in the prepared crust. Bake for one hour, turning halfway after 30 minutes. Turn off the toaster oven, but do not open it, and leave the cheesecake in the toaster oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from toaster oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 hours.

Advice and suggestions

Check out my other articles to find a homemade whole grain graham cracker recipe. They make excellent crumbs for the crust.

Place a small cup (oven proof of course) of water in the corner of your toaster oven while you bake the cheesecake. This will minimize, but not eliminate, cracks.