Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Smooth and creamy pumpkin cheesecake made mini in a muffin pan. Complete with salted caramel sauce and a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust!

Here I am, finally home, after a crazy quick yet completely unbelievable weekend in Chicago! In the short 48 hours there, I managed to meet at least 150 readers as well as cook two Sally’s Candy Addiction recipes for my wonderful crowds: my easy pretzel toffee and my beloved pumpkin spice toffee. Have you tried either of these cookbook recipes yet?!

I had cooking demo events on both Saturday and yesterday, grabbed dinner with friends on Saturday night (Mercadito— omg the sweet potato guacamole and crispy mahi mahi tacos!) AND took a SoulCycle class yesterday morning taught by my friend Ryan. I take spin classes here in Philly from time to time but nothing compares to a motivating and powerful SoulCycle. I’m hooked! And obviously a little sore today. A feel good pain of course!

Have I mentioned how much I love you all in Chicago?

Before even heading out on my book tour, I made these pumpkin cheesecakes. I’ve been keeping them from you for almost 2 months. 😳 Sorry?

I made the cheesecakes to share with a bunch of my friends one night, who all couldn’t get over the salted caramel sauce on top. Which is made from scratch! And I personally can’t get enough of the crunchy gingersnap crust. Gingersnap cookies, you have my heart forever. And not to mention the creamy pumpkin filling. Oh my gosh. I’ll get to that in a minute. I actually shared these salted caramel pumpkin cheesecakes on Delish.com, who published the little cheesecakes last month. Did you see them there by chance? (I share new recipes on Delish every other Friday!)

Let’s pick apart these cheesecakes layer by layer real quick. First, that irresistible gingersnap cookie crust. It’s not the first time I use gingersnap cookies in a crust before. Remember my Nutella pumpkin pie? I love pairing these spicy sweet cookies with pumpkin. And they’ve definitely found their home here in my salted caramel pumpkin cheesecakes. I use store-bought. (Hey. At least the salted caramel is homemade!) I prefer Nabisco or Trader Joe’s brand. Make sure they are an extra crunchy variety. Just crush them up and mix them with a little sugar and melted butter to help bind.

A graham cracker crust works too.

Now that unbelievably rich, smooth, creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. The perfect balance of pumpkin and cheesecake. Holy mama! Good enough to make me type something like “holy mama!” 😐 Just a few key ingredients here like brick-style cream cheese, pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk, and some fabulous fall flavors like cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. That’s all you need for the filling. The extra egg yolk provides a little extra richness. Don’t leave that out. This is all beaten together and poured on top the crusts– which you have pressed into a 12-count muffin pan.

Want to make a full pumpkin cheesecake in a springform pan instead? Or even super mini size in a 24-count muffin pan? Check my recipe notes! So many ways to enjoy pumpkin cheesecake.

And the grand finale! We’ve got my beloved salted caramel sauce. (–> Find the recipe there!) Funny story– I had at least a dozen readers at both signings this weekend talk about their love for my homemade salted caramel sauce. And I know they aren’t alone! That recipe definitely wins the most popular award. And it’s surprisingly simple to make. Have you ever tried it? I encourage you to. I have plenty of step-by-step photos in the recipe for you just in case cooking sugar intimidates you. (It shouldn’t!) Visuals always help me learn.

And what better place for my homemade salted caramel sauce? Well, besides a spoon.

And I almost forgot the cheesecakes’ garnish: toasted pecans. My secret weapon in the kitchen. Feel free to leave them off if nuts aren’t your thing. But make toasted pecans your thing. Please.

Salted caramel pumpkin cheesecakes: over the top in the best way possible. Make them part of your holiday meals or, you know, your regular Monday night.

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Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes

★★★★★
5 from 1 reviews

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  Author: Sally


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  Prep Time: 30 minutes


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  Cook Time: 25 minutes


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  Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes


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  Yield: 16 mini cheesecakes


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  Category: Dessert


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  Method: Baking


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  Cuisine: American

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Description

Smooth and creamy pumpkin cheesecake made mini in a muffin pan. Complete with salted caramel sauce and a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust!

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Ingredients

Gingersnap Crust*

• 1 and 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (use crunchy gingersnap cookies and grind in processor – I prefer Nabisco or Trader Joe’s brand)


• 2 Tablespoons (23g) granulated sugar


• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted

Pumpkin Filling

• 12 ounces (336g) brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature*


• 1/2 cup (114g) pumpkin puree


• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk


• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 cup (240ml) store-bought or homemade caramel sauce*


• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (toast for 10 minutes at 300°F)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with liners and a second 12-count muffin pan with only 4 (this recipe makes 16). Set aside.


2. Make the crust: Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a medium bowl until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Press a heaping Tablespoon of mixture down into each liner, making sure the crust is tight and compact. You might have a little crust leftover. If so, press a little more into each liner—if desired! Pre-bake the crusts for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.


3. Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. On medium-high speed, beat in pumpkin, egg and egg yolk, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. On high speed, beat in sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until combined.


4. Pour the filling evenly into each crust.


5. Bake until centers of pies only slightly jiggle, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cheesecakes cool at room temperature in the pan set on a wire rack. Once completely cool, place cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. The cheesecakes will slightly sink in the middle- that’s ok! It gives you room for the caramel.


6. Once chilled, drizzle each with salted caramel sauce and garnish with toasted pecans. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the cheesecakes through step 4 up to 2-3 days in advance. Cover unbaked cheesecakes and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Continue with step 5. Freeze individual baked cheesecakes, without caramel topping, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.


2. Graham Cracker Crust: Would be just as tasty with these tiny pumpkin cheesecakes! Click here for how to make the graham cracker crust recipe. You can even add 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger and ground cloves for extra flavor.


3. Cream Cheese: Don’t use cream cheese spread; use brick-style cream cheese. Full-fat preferred, though low fat works too. Don’t use fat free.


4. Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can make your own 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice by blending a generous pinch each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice.


5. Caramel Sauce: If using my homemade caramel sauce, please keep in mind this is a salted caramel. If you prefer a sweeter caramel, reduce salt in the caramel sauce to 1/2 teaspoon. You can make the caramel sauce in advance– see make ahead tip in the caramel recipe.


6. Full Size Cheesecake: Double the filling ingredients (not the crust). Press the crust into a 9-inch springform pan. Pour filling on top. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 1 hour, give or take. Use a water bath to help prevent cracks in your cheesecake. Once the pumpkin cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before drizzling with caramel and serving. No need to double the caramel sauce recipe.


7. Super Mini Cheesecakes: Use a 24-count mini muffin pan! Follow the recipe as written and press 1 teaspoon of crust into each mini muffin liner. Pour filling evenly into each. Bake time will be about 10 minutes, give or take. Yields about 40-50.

Keywords: caramel pumpkin cheesecakes, mini pumpkin cheesecakes

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You have to try my chocolate chip version too!

And these pumpkin truffles too, of course.

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