October Treats

Happy 1st of November everyone!

Even though I am super duper excited for the run up to Christmas, I do love autumn. The colours, the lights... even the weather! So I thought for this weeks blogpost we could keep a little autumn going in the form of Homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars!

If you have just carved your pumpkin and are unsure what to do with it now Halloween is over, this easy recipe will allow you to turn that scary face into a yummy dessert.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

• 20 Oreos
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• Hot water
• AND MOST IMPORTANTLY 1 cup pumpkin puree

First off, preheat your oven to 180-degrees C.

Next, as part of your prep you need to grease proof your cheesecake baking tin as well as line both that tin and a normal baking tray with grease proof paper allowing it to overhang slightly.

Making a start on the homemade pumpkin puree, firstly chop a small pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds and pulp. Personally, I would place the seeds to one side as you can use them for many other DIY activities and baking! Once pulp free, continue to chop the pieces into quarters and place them on your baking tray. Put them in the oven for 45 minutes; this should leave them a fork tender, nice golden brown colour, as well as your house smelling extremely festive! From there you should easily be able to peel away the skin from the pumpkin flesh. Now all you simply have to do is blend away! I would suggest chopping your pumpkin into smaller pieces to make it easier and adding a little water to help the process along, however I would carefully consider the amount you are adding as you don't want your puree to become to watery.

Now on to the cheesecake!

First off, empty all the Oreos into a bowl and crush them until they are half way decent to being fully grounded. Gradually mix in the melted butter before emptying the contents equally surfaced into your baking tin and bake for 10 minutes. Once done, set aside and allow to cool for at least another 10 minutes.

Using an electric mix on a medium speed, beat both the cream cheese and sugar. If you don't own an electric mix don't worry, it can be done just as easily with a wooden spoon. Once smooth, add the pumpkin puree and eggs one at a time and beat. Continue by adding the vanilla essence, cinnamon, ginger, ground allspice, salt and flour until they are all smoothly combined. Going off recipe slightly, I added a little orange food colouring to give the cheesecake a little more pumpkin colour. Pour this mixture evenly over the prepared Oreo crust. 

Next, pour hot water into an empty baking tray or pan that is a little bigger than your cheesecake tin before placing the cheesecake tin over it (this is so the eggs in the mixture cook properly) and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the mixture is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the middle. Once cooked, let the cheesecake cool before covering it and letting it set in a fridge for at least 3 hours.

And voila - a perfect October treat to keep you happy this autumn!