Best to make 2 days before. This is a cheesecake that gets better the longer it sets. It is a very light and silky cheesecake. It will be the hit of all holiday parties. This cheesecake does not have a strong pumpkin flavor. The flavors are very subtle.

INGREDIENTS (18)

Pan:  9  inch spring form pan

Pre heat oven to 375.

For the Crust:

• 2 cups paleonola maple flavored  crushed fine ( gf)-granola) 1 bag

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons butter melted (1 stick)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the Filling:

• 2 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 2 cups Mascarpone cheese – room temperature
• 1 8 oz cream cheese – room temp
• 1 cup heavy cream – room temp
• 1 tsp. maple cream or maple syrup
• 2  Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 large eggs – room temp
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ½  cup organic cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp.  Vanilla Madagascar (preferable)
• ¼  tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice powder
• ½ tsp.  nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Crust:

In a food processor place bag of paleonola  and blend until it resembles a coarse crumble. Add salt and melted butter. Blend in processor for another minute with additional spices.  The crumble for crust should hold together. Cover bottom of spring form pan with paleonola mixture. Bake the crust on a baking sheet until set and light brown, about 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Filling:

Tip: Most important thing to know is that all ingredients need to be at room temperature. This is to ensure cheesecake doesn’t crack.

With a hand mixer and cake mixer on low speed, blend together the pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix gently for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl often. Add eggs in one at a time, 4 in total. In a separate bowl, combine the marscapone cheese with the cornstarch, coconut sugar and vanilla and . Blend gently for a minute then add heavy cream.  Beat at a low speed .  Add the mascarpone with the pumpkin and mix gently for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl. Make sure well incorporated.

Bake the Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 425. Pour the pumpkin filling over the crust. Shake pan so as to get rid of any air bubbles. Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent water leakage into the pan. Place the filled cake pan in a deep baking dish and set them on the oven rack. Add enough water to the pan so that it comes up three-fourths of the way up the sides of the cake pan. Bake the cake for 15 minutes at 425 then lower the temperature to 300 for an hour or until the center of the cake is lightly set. Do not open door at anytime. Turn oven off but leave cake in oven for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove from oven.  Remove foil when ready to serve.. Cool it to room temperature on a wire rack so air circulates under cheesecake. This will ensure crust does not crack.  Refrigerate the cake for at least 8 hours before unmolding. Best to make 2 days before. This is a cheesecake that gets better the longer it sets.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin:

Pumpkin has lots of health benefits!

Here are 5:

1. Pumpkin seeds are very high in magnesium, containing nearly half of the recommended daily value in only a quarter cup!
2. Pumpkin builds the immune system.
3. Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene.
4. Pumpkin is rich in natural enzymes, which are great for your skin. Eat it or apply it as a nutrient dense mask!
5. Pumpkin is has tryptophan.  Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that your body uses to make proteins, the B vitamin niacin, and neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin. These chemicals induce relaxation and minimize stress.