Tuesday, November 23, 2010

GF pumpkin cheesecake bites.

Not kidding. These things are to die for! I adapted this recipe from Our Best Bites, so hope on over there and give them a cyber hug for me! Trust me, you'll want to after you eat one of these babies!

Crumb Crust/Topping

2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. uncooked gluten-free oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
3/4 c. butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar, oats, salt, and nuts in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and combine with hands until mixture is coarse and crumbly.

For mini tarts, drop a generous teaspoon of mixture into each hole; for cupcake-sized tarts, line a tin with foil cupcake liners and drop a generous tablespoon into each liner. Press down.

Use leftover mixture to sprinkle on tarts before baking.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

1 small can pumpkin
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light works great), softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Sweetened whipped cream

Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and seasoning and mix completely. Spoon into prepared crust (1 Tbsp. for minis, 2 generous Tbsp. for regulars) and sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake at 350; for mini tarts, bake for about 15 minutes. For the regular tarts, bake closer to 20. If you'd like the crumb topping a little darker, you can turn the broiler on for a few minutes, but you have to keep a close eye on them because they will literally burn in a few seconds.

GLUTEN FREE NOTE: I would suggest preparing the filling before mixing the crust. When I made these, it seemed like the crust dried out a bit while I made the filling. If you make the filling first, you can just remix it when you want to spoon it in.

*Did you know that making your whipped cream with powdered sugar instead of normal sugar makes it softer and sweeter? Try it!



Sunday, November 21, 2010

GF pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust



I just found this delicious Thanksgiving recipe that can be easily turned into a gluten-free delicacy.

I was actually going to make something similar to this (without a recipe), but finding it here saved me loads of time!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Crust:
4 cups finely crushed gingersnaps *
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1 T grated fresh ginger
1 LB cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh cooked/pureed or canned pumpkin puree
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make the crust, combine the gingersnap crumbs with the melted butter and toss together until the mixture holds together when pressed. Add an additional tablespoon of melted butter if necessary. Pat evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of 8 ( 4 1/2-inch) tart pans. Bake about 7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

Make filling: put the grated ginger in a fine sieve set over a small bowl and press against it to extract the juice. Toss pulp, save juice. In mixer, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, spices and salt. (Note: it is essential you scrape sides with a rubber spatula, to incorporate the cream cheese). Beat until creamy and well combined. Mix in ginger juice and the pumpkin puree. Add the eggs one at a time, combining after each until blended but don’t over beat. Pour the filling into the tart or tartlette pans and bake 25 to 35 minutes—until the center is just firm to the touch. Cool to room temperature then chill at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Note: consider serving with dollops of cinnamon whipped cream.

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*To make this recipe gluten-free, try these products:


Mary's Gone Crackers



Mi-Del

Glow Gluten Free