Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Vanilla Wafer Crust
These pumpkin cheesecake bars have four distinct layers: a vanilla wafer crust, a plain cheesecake base, a spiced pumpkin cheesecake layer on top of that, and a cinnamon-ginger streusel over the whole thing. No springform pan, no water bath, just a 9x13 pan and a few steps of patience while each layer sets. If you've been intimidated by layered cheesecake, this one breaks it down so nothing's a guess.
Servings 24
Calories 325kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups vanilla wafers crushed, about 2 cups of whole wafers
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake
- 32 ounce cream cheese 4x8 oz packages, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree, canned
Topping
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup butter cold, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan and line with parchment paper.
- Crush the vanilla wafers in a resealable bag using a rolling pin, or process in a food processor. Add melted butter and stir to combine.Spread on the bottom of the prepared pan tapping it down with a flat surface. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and mix. Then add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Spread ½ of the filling on top of the crust and place in the freezer for 30 minutes until it has started to thicken.
- Preheat oven to 325º.
- To the rest of the cream cheese filling add pumpkin and mix to combine. Pour over the cold layer of cheesecake, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes. While it is baking, make the topping. After 30 minutes, remove the cheesecake and add the topping. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until a knife comes out clean in the center.
- Streusel topping: Combine flour, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add cold butter and combine with a pastry cutter until the butter is in very small pieces.
Notes
- Use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. Cold cream cheese won't beat smooth and will leave lumps in the filling.
- Use block-style cream cheese, not the tub kind. It holds its shape through the freezer step and the bake.
- Don't leave the plain layer in the freezer longer than 30 minutes, or the top can crack once it goes into a hot oven.
- Let the bars cool to room temperature, then chill before cutting. Cutting them warm will smear the layers together.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
