Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

So I went to Trader Joe's and on a whim, bought a little jar of pumpkin butter. Not knowing what to do with said jar of pumpkin butter, I began scouring the internet for recipes...until I came across this one. I made it for a weekend visit to Matt & Beth's house in Fergus Falls, and it was absolutely TO DIE FOR!! I licked the entire bowl, both beaters, and the spatula absolutely clean since I couldn't take a bite of the gorgeous cheesecake itself.

It could be fairly easily adjusted to make a strawberry or apple butter cheesecake by substituting the pumpkin butter for some other jam-like concoction (key lime marmalade, anyone?)

My recipe is adapted from one I found at allrecipes.com. I'm bummed that I forgot to take a photo of this delicious dessert.


Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
- handful of chopped candied pecans
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup pumpkin butter
- 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Gently fold in pumpkin butter and chopped pecans. Pour mixture into crust.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 - 50 minutes. Let cool for 30 min to an hour.

Pumpkin Whipped Cream (I didn't really measure here, I just kinda poured and mixed to taste)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 tbsp pumpkin butter
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Whip the heavy cream until thickened, but still liquid. Add the remaining ingredients. Whip until firm peaks form -- careful not to overwhip so the cream separates into butter and buttermilk!