Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Hello! I hope your weekend it getting off to a great start. I have a big date this weekend, with my kitchen! 

I love to bake in the Fall and this weekend is going to be dreary so I will be making a few things I found and have pinned on my Pinterest pages.

As it is Fall I have been trying to bake with seasonal ingredients, and pumpkin is one of my favorites. 

After searching for a few recipes which would incorporate both chocolate and pumpkin I found this recipe at Martha Stewart for Chocolate pumpkin cheesecake bars.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

•  Crust:

  
  
  • 12 Oreos
  • 12/ cup of graham cracker crumbs 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 
    
  •  Filling
• • 2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned  pumpkin puree
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • dash of nutmeg
  • OR instead of the spices above 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender blend cookies and graham cracker crumbs with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until  slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Place cream cheese in mixer; blend until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt;  mix  until combined about 1 minute. Set aside
5. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
6. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.
7. Cool in pan. Then cover and chill  at least 2 hours.  Using overhang, transfer  to work surface. Cut and serve. 

These bars are delicious, the texture is similar to pumpkin pie, and they taste like your favorite holiday pie with a burst of chocolate. They are moist, creamy and have a nice crunchy chocolate crust. 

I love pumpkin pie spice and so I I always add a little more than most people would, I think this mixture is just right. If you like less spice that add less. 

What are your plans for the weekend? Will you be making anything? If you try this come back and let me know, I want to know what you think.

Enjoy!

Linking to:
At the Picket Fenceg
Six Sisters Stuff
Stone Gable
French Country Cottage
Stuff and Nonsense
2805
Common Ground
The Charm of the Home
How Sweet It IS
Natasha in Oz
Flour me with Love
Or So She Says