Hey, guess what? I’m not a fan of cheesecake. Can you believe it? I don’t hate cheesecake, I just don’t crave it. I’m also not a fan of pumpkin pie for the same reason. Today I made mini cheesecakes that are a combination between a cheesecake and a pumpkin pie. I tried one and they were good. Will I be making them again? No. I brought some over to my parents to see how these mini cheesecakes fared as far as cheesecakes go. They loved them and told me that I was such an amazing baker and daughter. Unfortunately, you need to take their review with a grain of salt. They also loved a bizarre- looking, yellow ashtray I made for them when I was in the second grade. Anyway, here are low-fat, mini ginger pumpkin cheesecakes to bring us all into a Autumn frame of mind. I hope you enjoy them. Also, I would like to point out that I’m not quite sure why I, at 7 years old, would think that a homemade ashtray for my non smoking parents was an appropriate gift. Live and learn, I guess.
I got this recipe from my Weight Watchers- What To Cook Now cookbook. I love Weight Watchers, and with this pastry blog I need Weight Watchers to keep me on track. I adapted the recipe slightly, so for those of you counting I believe each cheesecake would be 3 WW points.
Line a cupcake tin, and place one gingersnap cookie in each liner.
Generously fill each cupcake liner with the pumpkin cheesecake filling that you made in your food processor.
Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for about 15 minutes, or when no longer jiggly.
After the cheesecakes have cooled on a wire rack, and then chilled in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, top each with non fat whipped cream, and sprinkle a little with pumpkin pie spice.
- 26 Gingersnap Cookies
- 1/2 cup (100 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 15-oz container (425 g) Fat-Free Ricotta Cheese
- 1 8-oz package (226 g) Light Cream Cheese, Neufchatel
- 2 TBS Cornstarch
- 2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice, plus some for sprinkling
- 1 15-oz can (440 g) Pumpkin Puree
- 1 cup Fat-Free Egg Substitute
- 3 and 1/4 cups Fat-Free Whipped Cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Place one gingersnap cookie at the bottom of each liner.
- In a food processor, process the ricotta until smooth. Add the cream cheese, both sugars, cornstarch, and pumpkin pie spice. Pulse until mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add the pumpkin puree and egg substitute. Pulse until mixed. Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with cheesecake filling.
- Bake for 15 minutes (turning the pan 180 degrees half way through). The cheesecakes are baked through when no longer jiggling in the center.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, and then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- To serve, dollop about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream, and sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice over each. Enjoy!
- 2 cupcake tins that hold one dozen cupcakes each
- Cupcake liners
- Food processor
- Medium-sized ice cream scoop
