Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecakes were the first thing I ever noticed I had a talent for making, and this one is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.  Most people tend to only think of pumpkin as a holiday flavor, but I think pumpkin is great year round! Try making one in the middle of the summer, it's just as tasty then as it is at Thanksgiving =)  The thing that I find makes or breaks a cheesecake is the crust.  Many will tell you that the only way to go is graham cracker, but I honestly am not that big a fan of them so I experimented with other things and for the pumpkin I find that ginger snap cookies bring out the flavor of the pumpkin even more and give it a little zing.  Traditional ginger snaps are hard enough to use as a bulletproof vest, but gluten free ones have more flavor AND they're pliable rather than being rock hard.  Enjoy!

crust:
1 1/2 cups gluten free ginger snap cookies
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar


filling:

1 cup sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin (canned or from scratch)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and then drizzle the melted butter over the top.
3. Mix this together well enough to cover all of the crumbs with the butter. Do not let it turn into a paste.
4. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. It’s ok if it doesn’t go all the way up the sides.  You want part of the cheesecake to extend above the crust.
5. Bake for 5 minutes, then chill it in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
6. Combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
7. Mix until smooth using an electric mixer (remove the lumps but don’t over-mix).
8. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy.
9. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
10. Bake for 60-70 minutes.
11. The cake will rise and turn a nice golden brown on top.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room tempurature.
13. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator (the longer you let it chill the better the flavors will combine - up to 24 hours)
14. When the cheesecake has chilled or you’ve lost all will-power, release the spring and romove the sides of the pan.

cheesecake WILL pick up other flavors in your fridge, so make sure there is nothing pungent in there or that you keep the cheesecake in a sealed container, also, no matter how good it smells cheesecake does not taste good when it's warm so resist the urge to cut a slice as soon as it's done!