LC's mini pumpkin cheesecakes

  I love Autumn. There is something about the crispness to the air, the deeper shade of blue the sky turns, the colors of the foliage and smelling wood stoves starting up for the long winter ahead. I might not experience these things anymore because I moved, but in my heart I am always going to be a New Englander. Another thing I look forward to that goes hand in hand with Autumn? Pumpkin. Not just pumpkin pumpkin, but pumpkin everything. I love pumpkin coffee, pumpkin butter, pumpkin bread. You name it, I bet I love it. A few years ago when I didn't really care about how many calories I ate, I fell in love with this fabulous pumpkin cheesecake created by the legendary Paula Deen. A few years ago I also lived with a few other people who had a fondness for cheesecake and pumpkin, so at least I didn't have to eat it alone. The husband does not like pumpkin anything. He does not like cheesecake anything either. This leaves me in quite the conundrum. Woe is me, might I have to eat a whole cheesecake alone? What a terrible concept. Unfortunately, my thighs don't agree. Instead, I converted the recipe to be lower calorie and into a mini version that not only helps with portion control, but makes it easy to freeze or store left overs. A win win all around!

LC's mini pumpkin cheesecakes
Adapted from Paula Deen's pumpkin cheesecake
Creates 12 mini cheesecakes


Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar (or splenda)
a few dashes of cinnamon

Filling
1 package low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 tablespoons of pumpkin
A few dashes of nutmeg and clove

  Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with a bit of Pam.

 Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Once this is mixed well, add an egg. Mix for another minute.

  Add all remaining ingredients for the filling and mix well. Set aside to prepare the crust.

 In a separate bowl, combine a cup of graham cracker crumbs, a tablespoon of sugar, a few dashes of cinnamon and melted butter. Stir so everything is evenly distributed. The mixture will seem crumbly. That is totally okay.

  Here is a big tip for this recipe! Cut 12 strips of parchment paper and set them into each well. This will help make removing the mini cheesecakes very easy and will help assist with not breaking them. The tips might be annoying and flop in, but this will be fixed once you set the crust into the bottom of the well. Distribute the crust mixture between all of the wells, pushing down until it becomes solid. If you leave it too crumbly, the cheesecake will not only not have a firm base, but the crumbs will ruin the texture of the cheesecake during the baking process. Once the crust is pushed in firmly, the parchment strips should be held pretty well in place.

 
 Add the filling to each well. Start by adding only a small amount, that way you will ensure that each well will be even with the others. Smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and is firm to the touch.

  These little bad boys make a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal. Miniatures give you the option of making a variety of things, having it all, and not having to feel so bad afterwards. If you want to remove even more calories, replace the sugar with splenda. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!