Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These decadent Fall dessert bars feature a buttery graham cracker crust and a layer of rich creamy swirled pumpkin pie cheesecake! The pumpkin combined with the cheesecake flavors, is a combo that’s hard to pass up. It’s pumpkin season! Get ready for all of the pumpkin recipes, pumpkin treats and pumpkin flavor. These pumpkin bars are no exception. They have a generous swirl of pumpkin pie cheesecake that will cure that pumpkin craving. Since this cheesecake is baked in a 9×13 baking dish, you don’t have to fuss with a springform pan or a water bath. These easy cheesecake bars are a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert. I know we’ll be making them all holiday season!

Ingredients:
(Ingredients differ if making the “no-bake” version. Scroll down to “notes” to see what you’ll need!)
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup unsalted butter
16 oz cream cheese (2 blocks) softened to room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
2½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:
** See no bake instructions below if you prefer that instead!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and combine it with the graham cracker crumbs until it forms a wet, sandy mixture. Spread the graham cracker mixture evenly into the bottom of the 9×13 pan and press it down firmly to form a crust. Set the dish aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese until smooth.
Now, mix in the sour cream and granulated sugar until they are fully incorporated.
Then, add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture and mix once more until is smooth and the eggs are fully combined. Pour ¾ of the cheesecake mixture over the graham cracker crust.
To the remaining cheesecake mixture, add the salt, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix it until combined.
Dollop spoonfuls of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture all over the top of the plain cheesecake mixture. Use a butter knife to swirl the two mixtures together.
Next, bake the cheesecake for 35-40 minutes or until the center is only slightly jiggly.
Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool for 30 minutes in the oven. Then, put it in the fridge and allow it to cool for 1 ½ hours.
Finally, cut the cooled cheesecake into squares, serve and enjoy!

Notes:
For a No Bake Version of Pumpkin Bars:
You can use the same crumb + butter crust and make a no bake filling.
Here’s How: To make an easy fluffy filling, whisk 1 small box of pumpkin spice-flavored instant pudding into 1 cup of cold milk and then fold in 1 small tub of Cool Whip or 8oz. of the store-bought cheesecake filling for a creamy dreamy no bake pumpkin dessert. Sprinkle the top with pumpkin pie spice and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

More Notes:
Use the bottom of a glass to press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the baking dish to form a firm, sturdy crust.
I like to use a plastic knife to cut these cheesecake bars into squares. (For some reason, it doesn’t seem to stick to the cheesecake filling so much!) If you use a regular knife, wipe it clean after every cut to keep the edges of the bars neat.
Allowing the cheesecake to cool in the oven before moving the dish to the fridge helps minimize cracks forming in the top of the cheesecake.
Store these cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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