This year for Thanksgiving (Canadian), I wanted to switch up my usual menu. I wasn't going to have my Dad or my Mother in Law for company and since my Dad is a creature of habit, I never get to deviate from the usual holiday food fare. I took this as an opportunity to experiment with some new recipes to keep our dinner with friends low-key and non-stressful.
Enter the No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake.
All the flavors of a pumpkin pie but in a hard to resist individual cheesecake. And since this is no-bake cheesecake, you don't have to bother with a spring form pan, water bath in the oven, etcetera, etcetera. Just mix, dump, refrigerate.
We loved the little cheesecakes so much I made another batch with the leftover canned pumpkin the following week. A little project for me and my three year old while her big sister was at school.
This is a great recipe if you want to involve your kids in the kitchen. Easy, easy, easy!
Two girls, a kitchen aid mixer and a fun afternoon.
Recipe adapted from Shugary Sweets
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Makes 2 9-inch cheesecakes
14 oz box gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
12 oz Cool Whip (or whipped cream)
Pulse cookies in food processor until finely ground. Mix ground cookies with melted butter. Press into bottom of two 9-inch pie plates (or one pie plate plus 8 individual dishes).
Beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk for 5 minutes. Mix in pumpkin, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Pour mixture evenly into pie plates and refrigerate for one to two hours until set and cold. Serve with a dollop of cool whip or whipped cream on top.
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THE RESULTS?
Like I said we LOVED these. My 3 year old couldn't wait until her sister and Dad were home so she could devour hers. And when she finally did, joy exuded from her whole body!
Excited much? She kept exclaiming how yummy it was and "Dad, Dad, Dad! I made these! And mom helped!