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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Candied Pecans

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These amazing pumpkin cheesecake bars with candied pecans are delicious and so EASY to make! Full of fall spices, the 4 layers come easily together in a sumptuous dessert that is sure to impress at any holiday gathering.
  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 55 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x
  • Category: Cakes and pies
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

These amazing pumpkin cheesecake bars with candied pecans are delicious and so EASY to make! Full of fall spices, the 4 layers come easily together in a sumptuous dessert that is sure to impress at any holiday gathering.

Ingredients

Scale

For the crust:

  • 1 ½ cups (225g) graham crackers or Digestive biscuits, crushed*
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 1/3 cup (80g) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

  • 8.8 ounces (250g) cream cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the pumpkin pie filling:

  • 1 1/3 cups (320g) pumpkin puree**, canned (NOT pumpkin filling!)
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (45g) light or dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

For the candied pecans:

  • 1 cup (100g) pecans***, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking dish.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, add biscuit crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Stir with a fork until well incorporated then press into the prepared baking dish.
  3. For the cheesecake layer, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for 30-40 minutes then spoon onto the crust.
  4. For the pumpkin pie layer, whisk eggs with pumpkin puree, cream, both sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Spoon out 2 Tablespoon of the pumpkin pie filling in a bowl and whisk it with cornstarch until no lumps remains. Add it back to the remaining pumpkin pie filling and stir well.
  5. Gently pour pumpkin pie filling onto the cream cheese mixture and bake for 45-55 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then place in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or ideally overnight.
  6. For the candied pecans, add chopped pecans, butter and sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter has melted and sugar starts to caramelize, stirring constantly, approximately 7-8 minutes.
  7. Pour in a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool. Once cooled, break into small pieces to use to top the cheesecake pumpkin bars, pressing with your hands a little bit. Cut into squares, and enjoy!

Notes

* Place biscuits in a large ziploc bag, seal, and using a rolling pin, crush cookies until they resemble graham cracker crumbs. Alternatively, you can pulse a few times in a food processor until it resembles to bread crumbs.

** To make your own pumpkin puree, slice a sugar pie pumpkin, scrape the seeds, and roast it for 45-60 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Allow to cool, scrape the meat, then puree in a food processor. And voilà! Homemade pumpkin puree ready to use!

*** You can replace pecans with walnuts.

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https://www.delscookingtwist.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-bars-with-candied-pecans/