Taste the Craze with Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

By: Ciaran Keast

Have you had enough pumpkin spice yet? No? Good, because we just baked up a little something wonderful for you with our seasonal Deluxe Pumpkin Spice Tea!
For those of you not in the know, pumpkin spice-flavored items have been taking the nation by storm these past few years with everything from coffee, cookies, and chocolates to fragrances, skin care, and themed clothing. I’ve even seen pumpkin spice gum, bagels, and hummus.
You know what else it’s good with? Cheesecake. Which is why I'm sharing my deliciously perfected Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

FOR THE CRUST
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs
2 teaspoons ground Deluxe Pumpkin Spice tea leaves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, tea leaves, and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until well mixed but still crumbly.
Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the dish.
Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool while you make the filling. Leave the oven on at 350 F.

FOR THE FILLING
Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
4 teaspoons ground Deluxe Pumpkin Spice tea leaves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add in pumpkin, eggs, tea, and spices and continue mixing until well blended.
Pour filling over crust, using the back of a spatula to spread it evenly.
Bake for 60-70 minutes or until top has set (it only jiggles slightly) and lightly browned.
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely, then chill it in the fridge for at least a few hours before slicing and serving with Spiced Whipped Cream (recipe below).

Spiced Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes.
Spoon cream onto Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars before serving. Store any extra cream in the fridge in an airtight container.

Photos are courtesy of the author.

Ciaran Keast

Ciaran Keast loves art, semicolons, books, cats -- and all the tea, ever. When they're not posting tea photos on social media, you'll catch them at almost every Plum Deluxe event.

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