Pumpkin Cheesecake

I wanted to make a fancy dessert for our guests last weekend. I was looking through our pantry to get an idea of what we already had when I discovered a can of pumpkin! And I thought, sure January is a little past pumpkin-dessert-season, but who can deny the amazing-ness of pumpkin at any time of the year? So I went with it.

Remember when I said I was going to bake less this year? Well, I'm trying to limit myself to one dessert a month. {Lunch cookies don't count, obviously.}



Pumpkin Cheesecake
{From Martha Stewart}

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble a spring-form pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.
2. Mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened. Press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth. Mix in flour. Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs one at a time.
4. Place spring-form pan on a baking sheet. Pour filling into pan and gently smooth top. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven, but let cheesecake stay in oven two hours more - without opening the oven door.
5. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours. Unmold before serving. Serves twelve.