Description
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars combine a creamy, spiced pumpkin cheesecake swirled atop a buttery graham cracker crust, perfect for a festive fall dessert. The marbled effect of traditional cheesecake and pumpkin flavors makes for an irresistible treat that’s creamy, flavorful, and easy to slice into bars for sharing.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 15 whole rectangular graham crackers (just over 2 cups of crumbs)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Mixture
- 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Cheesecake Batter
- Three 8-oz packages full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 â…” cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease it to prepare for the crust.
- Make the crust crumbs: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. This will ensure your crust is even and cohesive.
- Mix crust ingredients: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and melted butter in a bowl until the mixture is well combined and resembles wet sand.
- Press crust into pan: Firmly press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a solid, even crust layer.
- Bake crust: Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes until it turns lightly golden and fragrant. Remove and let it cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare pumpkin mixture: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and flour. Set aside this spiced pumpkin mixture.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese and 1 â…” cups granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Add flavorings: Incorporate the vanilla extract, sour cream, and salt into the cream cheese mixture, mixing until fully combined and even.
- Add eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing gently after each addition to avoid incorporating too much air or overmixing.
- Combine pumpkin with batter: Remove 1 ½ cups of the cheesecake batter and stir it into the pumpkin mixture until well blended.
- Layer the batter: Alternate spoonfuls of plain cheesecake batter and pumpkin-spiced batter over the cooled crust layer in the pan.
- Create marble effect: Use a knife or skewer to swirl the two batters together gently, forming a beautiful marbled pattern without disturbing the crust.
- Bake cheesecake: Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The edges should be set, while the center remains slightly jiggly but not liquid.
- Cool and chill: Allow the cheesecake bars to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight to fully set.
- Slice and serve: Once chilled and firm, slice into 18 bars and serve chilled for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
- For best results, bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature before mixing to avoid lumps in your batter.
- Swirling the batters gently ensures a pretty marbled effect without mixing the flavors too much.
- Make sure not to overbake; the cheesecake should still have a slight jiggle in the center when you remove it from the oven.
- Allowing the bars to chill overnight is essential for clean slicing and the best texture.
- You can substitute pumpkin pie spice with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves if desired.
