Oh! I was getting ready to make my specialty and I thought of ya'll; I HAVE to share the Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe....
A neighbor brought a little tiny cheesecake over to me, oh, 10 years ago.... And brought back the recipe a week later and I've made it for Thanksgiving ever since!
It's a hybrid of pumpkin pie and cheesecake...with maple glaze; you know, for the people that hold up the whole buffet with indecision, "cheesecake or pie?"
Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 1/4 C Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C butter
3 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 15 oz can of pumpkin (OR 1 pie pumpkin baked at 350 for 90 minutes, innards removed and flesh scooped from rind)
3 eggs
1 C maple syrup, divided (NOT pancake syrup, REAL maple syrup)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 C whipping cream
1/2 C chopped pecans
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
In small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press firmly into bottom of 9 inch springform pan.
In large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually mix in condensed milk until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, 1/4 C syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour into springform pan.
Bake at 300 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge if pan to loosen. Let cool for another hour. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove sides of pan. In a saucepan, combine remaining syrup and cream. Boil rapidly for 15-20 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in pecans. Cool and serve over cheesecake.
Hoard some for yourself for later, because it goes fast
