gluten-free pumpkin cheese cake bars

 

I made this recipe for my Wednesday night games group, and it was a hit! Just as delicious as cheese cake, but a much smaller recipe. 

Lucky me! We were gifted with a beautiful pie pumpkin from one of our fellow gardeners. I cooked and froze the pumpkin meat in one cup portions, vacuum sealed to last all season. I have made this with gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, or with gluten-free ginger snap crumbs, and the ginger snap version is the winner. 

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs or gluten free ginger snap cookie crumbs
2 tbsp butter melted

Filling:
2x 8 oz packages lactose free cream-cheese softened at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp alspice

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup gluten free flour
2 tbsp butter softened
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves

Instructions: 

 Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

If needed, put the GF graham crackers or ginger cookies in a large ziplock and roll with a rolling pin to make crumbs. Mix the crumbs with melted butter. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes and then set out to cool.

In medium bowl combine the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, salt,and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each one. Pour half of the mixture into another bowl. Add pumpkin and spices to the remaining cheesecake mixture and stir until completely combined. Using a couple big spoons, put the regular filling mix and pumpkin flavoured filling mix interspersed into the pan with the crumbs. Swirl just a little bit. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the brown sugar, flour, oats and spice. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add in the butter and mix together with a folk or pastry knife to make the crumble topping. Sprinkle topping evenly over the pumpkin cheesecake layer after the cake has baked for 30 minutes.

Place in the oven and bake for another 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the bars in the oven to cool about an hour. Remove from oven. Pull the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper, and place on a board to cool in the fridge for an hour or more before cutting.