Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients
for Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbs butter, melted

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nut meg

for Filling
3 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger

for Topping and Decorations
1/2 cup white chocolate or vanilla melting chips
1 small handful shelled pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, in a medium bowl. Stir until crumbs are well coated with butter, and still crumbly (not pasty). Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, pushing crust slightly up the sides of the pan.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside.

To make the cheesecake filling, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and mix on medium speed until smooth. Pour the filling into the pan over crust. Bake for 70 minutes. Turn off oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature while still in the oven - about 3 hours. Remove cheesecake from oven.

To decorate, melt white chocolate or vanilla chips, and spread evenly over cheesecake, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the cake. Top with pumpkin seeds (be creative!).

Place cheesecake in refrigerator until chilled. Before removing from pan, slide a knife around the edge of the springform pan.

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Adapted from a The Repressed Pastry Chef recipe.