Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Gingersnap Crust

This cheesecake has been our dessert for the past three Thanksgiving dinners! Like others, I also use ground pecans in place of the hazelnuts, but I also find that a spicy gingersnap makes for a better crust. (Try Christie's Midget Snaps) This also makes great idividual cheesecakes....just place a ginger snap in the bottom of a muffin tin lined with a paper liner and pour on the filling!

This was amazing. Thanks Shelley! Here are some changes I made that you may want to try out readers.... *I used pecans instead of hazelnuts (because I wanted them to compliment the praline garnish I used. *I baked the cheesecake in a water bath to avoid cracking. *I made my praline with pecans. After the sugar/water mixture came to a med./ dark caramel color when boiling, I then spread the pecans on a buttered surface until they hardened. Spread so they don't touch. Set aside enough cute shiny whole pecans for a garnish for each piece. Chop up the rest for your praline garnish. * I made fresh whipped cream with vanilla bean, vanilla & sugar. * Presentation: take your slice of pumpkin cheesecake, put a large dollop of the vanilla bean whipped cream (letting is slide down each side of the cheesecake slice). Sprinkle 1-2 TB of the pecan praline on top of the whipped cream and sides of serving plate. Finally on top of the dollop add one shiny whole praline coated pecan. Enjoy! -Wendy Copeland

Well, not really sure how to rate this. Overall it was pretty tasty, but I wish the baking directions were a bit more detailed. For one, the crust hieght listed before baking should be about an inch shorter. The crust rises so high that when you cool the cake, the walls stay high and the middle sinks creating a crator like shape (not attractive). Secondly you should probably take the cake out about a half hour sooner than listed. When you leave it out to cool it continues to cook. Mine came out a bit over cooked. Good luck!

I made this cheesecake for christmas and it was awesome! Everyone loved it! And, it was my first cheesecake that did not crack (my 3rd attempt). If yours have a tendency to crack, try cooking for a shorter amount of time, then turn off the oven and leave the cake in there for about an hour--it will continue to cook, but not at the high heat, resulting in less (or no!) cracks.

I read in the allrecipes cheesecake hints that cheesecakes should be baked in a water bath, so that's what I did for this one. Unfortunately, i didn't wrap the pan tightly enough with tinfoil and the cheesecake got a little wet, but it was still fabulous! I will keep this recipe, but next time I will put my pan in a trimmed down turkey cooking oven bag to be sure there are no leaks.

This cheesecake is very good. It is smooth and creamy, however, i was hoping for a NY style cheesecake consistancy and this cake was a little soft for that. I followed the directions but did end up adding some additional spices. I added cloves, nutmeg and extra cinnamon. I think my extra spices made a big difference as the flavor was WONDERFUL!! I enjoyed the gingersnap crust but i had to use pecans because i didnt have any hazelnuts. YUM! I baked it in a water bath and i think it helped keep it from cracking. I would recommend this cake if you like softer cheesecakes with very mild spices.

This is a great Thanksgiving recipe. My family always has me bring the chhesecake and this one was a hit. A little tip though. make sure to pat the pumkin dry between some papertowels. If you do that you shouldn't have any trouble with the cheesecake being too soft.

I did what someone else had said they had done before, & substituted a mix of pecans and walnuts in place of the hazelnuts in the crust. Also added a little more cinnamon and a little less allspice. This was delicious!

Gingersnaps make this outstanding!! I've made pumpkin cheesecakes for years, but this makes a world of difference!!

I made this several years ago and had lost the recipe. Everyone was asking last year if I could bring it to Thanksgiving again! I am so glad I found it! I did make a few changes. Instead of hazelnuts I used pecans. You may also drizzle store bought carmel sauce over the top. Goes very well with the pumpkin.

I used the recipe to make mini cheesecakes, as another reviewer suggested. I used ginger snaps in the bottom of lined muffin cups and filled with batter. Baked at 325 for about 20 minutes. Made 28 cheesecakes.

To tell you the truth is really good, but my party liked it a lot more than I did and it vanished within hours! :D

very good cheesecake.... but definetly don't use 6 Tbs of butter in the crust. Way too much, and all it does is spill out the sides and into your oven, or pan below (if you thought to put one there) I would just use 2 or 3 Tbs next time.

I've made this recipe twice. Once as written, and the second time modified into individual cheesecakes. First time it was wonderful--and the individual cheesecakes went over great as well. For individual-sized cheesecakes, just spray muffin/cupcake liners with baker's joy spray (or equivalent), and axed the maple syrup and hazelnuts from the recipe. Halved it... and ended up with 12 perfect mini cheesecakes. (A trip into the freezer is a must before removing the cheesecakes from the liners). Posted a picture. Great recipe!

I give it five stars because it's good on it's own but with my changes it's AWESOME! I didn't use nuts in the crust because of family nut allergies. 2 cups crumbs to help make the crust crustier. 1.5 CANS of pumpkin. Double cinnamon and allspice and add nutmeg to taste. I cook it on a cookie sheet because the butter tends to drip out of the spring form pan and make a giant mess in my oven. Thanks for this great recipe. It made me a lot of friends at work too :)

Wonderful pumpkin cheesecake recipe. I made this last year for thanksgiving and everyone devoured it and rated it 2 thumbs up, plus. So this year, I will be making it again. I don't use the hazelnuts but just add more gingersnaps and a bit of graham crackers. Everything else I follow to a T. Also, the key to a crack free top is to avoid overbeating the mix. Watch your oven temp and bring the cheesecake out a bit earlier then listed in the recipe. Cheesecake will keep cooking after the oven is off and will firm up as it cools. Yumm!

Delicious!

4.5 stars. The crust gets soggy even though I used only 4 T butter as some reviewers suggested. I think I'll make my standard graham cracker crust next time. This cake gets better as the days go by, even though I prepared it on Tuesday for Thanksgiving, I would suggest making it at least three days ahead for more intense cheese flavor. I have baked maybe half a dozen cheesecakes in my life and I've always had cracking problems, even tjough I used the cool down gradually/wooden spoon handle method. When I was 20, I baked a cake in a water bath and it leaked into the pan and I've always been frightened of using a water bath again. Well, this time I tried a water bath and used a tip from a reviewer--use the 18" wide aluminium foil (don't skimp and get the cheap kind--get the heavy duty Reynold's) and the cheese cake was perfect. Looked beautiful, no cracking. I cooked it on 325 F for 90 min, then 60 min with the door cracked open and the oven off. Grease the sides of the pan well so it won't stick to the sides when it expands and contracts and crack the edges. There's a great video on this site that explains cheesecakes in a H2o bath.

AMAZING. This is the BEST cheesecake I have ever made, and I have made many. I did increase the spices (mostly cinnamon and a little ginger) and added some pumpkin spice mix as well. I used a water bath, which resulted in a perfect, crack-free surface. For the topping I whipped cream with a tsp vanilla, a tsp sugar, a tbsp vanilla pudding powder (to help it set better) and a squirt of maple syrup. I put this all over the cake like a frosting and then sifted cinnamon/sugar through a heart cut-out to make a heart pattern on top. It turned out better than I expected! Also served on top a drizzle of a maple bourbon caramel sauce: 1/2 c butter, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 c brown sugar, splash bourbon and 1/2 c cream, all brought to a boil and then allowed to sit until room temp. Fabulous. Wish I'd taken a picture. Usually my desserts are not very photogenic, but this one turned out great.

This was by far the most sumptious cheesecake I have ever made! We are a gluten free family so I used Midal's GF gingersnap cookies and almond flour for the crust. As for the cheesecake part I forgot to buy heavy cream and allspice, so I used half & half and extra cinnamon. I read Peggy Faulk Ellender's tips on how she bakes cheesecakes from this site and she is right. Not one single crack and my cheesecake was a good 3" thick! Unbelieveable. I also used an extra pie plate with water in it on a lower rack for my 'water bath'. As for taste this cheesecake is not overly rich, it's easy to eat a full piece and enjoy it without it being too much. I will definately make this again.

Everyone at the Thanksgiving reunion said this was the best cheesecake they had ever eaten! It is a new tradition! I only modified the recipe by adding pecans to the crust and a little extra cinnamon to the cake. I also made my own cinnamon whipped cream to top off this yummy cake. This cake does leak. I wrapped my pan in aluminum foil before baking, and I'm sure glad I did! Also, the cake cracks even when heated with water in the oven. Make sure you have some whipped cream on hand to cover the crack! Otherwise, this is a smooth, delicious, light cheesecake. Enjoy!

OMG! I made this today with a few mod's..Used Pecans, extra cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin spice. Bake for 60 min in a 350 oven, then left it in the oven for another 60 min (oven turned off). Turned out to be the best Cheese cake I ever made. Oh, I lined the pan w/foil to keep the butter in. Thank you so much and have a wonderfull Thanksgiving and thank you for sharing a great recipe!

I omitted all nuts from the crust and it still turned out great! The pumpkin filling was nice, but next time I want to use pumpkin pie filling instead of pure pumpkin for more flavour.

Wow, this was a huge hit at the dinner party I took it to. I felt bad for the other person who also brought desert because this cake got all the raves. Very moist and flavorful. Not one piece left.

FIVE YEARS LATER AFTER MY ORIGINAL REVIEW I'M HAPPY TO SAY I'M STILL MAKING THIS DELICIOUS CHEESECAKE EVERY THANKSGIVING!

this recipe was very simple & easy to make. i served it for dessert after xmas dinner, and the family loved it! i used the full amount of butter, and like others said, quite a bit baked out (place your cheesecake on a pizza or cookie sheet in the oven, and the pan will catch the melted butter). the dry ingredients in the crust do need the full amount of butter to mold properly to the bottom & sides of the pan. i used 2 packages of full-fat cream cheese & 1 package of fat-free, and it was delicious & creamy. make sure to let the cheesecake cool at room temp for the full 30 minutes (longer if you can) before putting it in the fridge. it will allow the cheesecake to settle slowly & prevent cracking. i will definitely be making this again!

Made this as the dessert for Christmas dinner. One of my guests was allergic to nuts, so just used extra cookie crumbs which was fine for the initial serving...but got a little soggy for leftovers. I also adjusted the spices to taste. I used 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 a teaspoon of both ginger and cloves. Very yummy!

A big hit this Christmas. Beautiful recipe. If you are having trouble with cracks wrap your spring form in tin foil and bake in a shallow water bath. Remember- when using a water bath always start with hot water!

This recipe was honestly amazing. It turned out great and I didn't want to share it with anyone. I don't think I changed anything except for the heavy cream, I didn't have any so I think I used condensed milk. Can't really remember but it was SO GOOD, and I got many compliments on it as well. Thank you for this recipe!!

I used the water bath,my cheesecake did not crack,it came out beautiful. The crust was so soggy a couple days after,too greasy. I cut down the butter after reviews,so I guess it needs to cut down more and use more gingersnaps. Why grease when there is so much grease already

This cheescake was easy to make, and tasted perfectly balanced with pumpkin and cheese. The crust makes it memorable. I will definitely make this again!

This is wonderful, plenty of spices in it as written. Next time, though, I will use less butter in the crust as it got a little greasy. I also used a water bath and let it cool in the oven for an hour before the refrigerator. Great recipe!

This is the first cheesecake I have ever made, and I learned a lot from the process. These are the changes I would make: 1. Use less butter, pecans, brown sugar, more gingersnap cookies in crust (crust was greasy). 2. Cook for one hour, then turn oven off for final 30 min (my cheesecake seemed overcooked and cracked). 3. Cool at room temperature for 1 hr, then move to refrig. 4. Add about 1 teaspoon nutmeg to batter. I am anxious to try this one again! Great taste, even though it didn't look so pretty.

I wouldn't change a thing in this recipe. I made it just as written and baked it in a waterbath and it turned out lovely and tasted wonderful. Thanks!

I made this for a dessert party and it was the favorite! I left out the hazelnuts and replaced with more gingersnap crumbs instead. I also garnished with whipping cream with a little sugar and cinnamon and piped it around the top. Fabulous! If you've never made a cheesecake before, make this your first.

not only is this just about the best darn thing i've ever made, but it's really easy as far as cheesecakes go. i added 4-5 times the amount of cinnamon and allspice called for and had to use crushed pecans instead of hazelnuts. my friends liked it so much i have been asked to make 2 for 2 different families' thanksgiving dinners. absolutely fabulous!

I just love this cheesecake. Surprsingly easy to put together. Used the cheesecake tips found on this site. Really does make a difference to have ingredients at room temperature, use a water bath, and don't overbeat. Just delish! Make sure your spices are fresh and buy high quality ingredients. They don't cost that much more and makes a real difference in the finished product. Don't even think about using imitation vanilla!

My first attempt at making cheesecake; I prepared this for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie this year and it went over big! Creamy & delicious. Very pumpkin-y yet definitely cheese cake. Thank you Shelley!

Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly and it turned out wonderful. I took it to a Christmas party and it was a hit, everyone wanted the recipe.

I made this with my 9-year-old daughter for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! It was our first cheesecake. Two things to remember: You might want to use a blender or food processer to crumble the ginger snaps and nuts (we were silly enough to try with our fingers at first!). Also, you might want to add more nuts and ginger snaps than the recipe calls for so you have enough to spread two inches up the sides. Be aware -- the top of the cheesecake may crack a little once it comes out of the oven, but it still tastes terrific!

Made this for Christmas dinner at my son's home. It was delicious and it all went. I received rave reviews. It was easy to make and I baked it in a water bath. The only problem was the Ginger Snaps. They were so fresh that they were hard. I tried the food processor for crushing, this did not work. I had to resort to placing them in a kitchen towel and using a hammer to crush them. Otherwise, the recipe was great! Thanks Shelley for a great recipe.

The best cheesecake ever! I did 50/50 ginger snap cookies and honey grahams, and added pecan crumbs to crust. And used sour cream instead of heavy cream. Saved 1/4 of the pumpkin and added 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cube cream cheese for topping. Bake again for 15 minutes.

Wonderful cheese cake, but gingersnaps are rock hard. I really thought it might break my food processor. Also, I wasn't able to find hazelnuts. I used pecans instead. Result was A+.

Holy cow! I completely forgot the eggs, but it's still delicious! Was heavier handed with the spices, and used International Delights Cinnamon Hazelnut coffee cream instead of the heavy cream. I can't believe I forgot to add the eggs... but it's still delicious! Love the crust!

I made this in cupcake papers. It was perfect for a party! I followed the recipe, but after baking and cooling I topped each cheesecake with chocolate cinnamon ganache. I also made some spiced pumpkin seeds, and put 2-3 on top of each mini-cheesecake for garnish. They looked beautiful! I wish I had taken a picture.

This recipe is AWESOME! I made it for Thanksgiving and got raves reviews, recipe requests and demands that I make TWO next year! I followed the recipe exactly.

I had never made a cheesecake before, and this one turned out wonderful! I replace half of the cream cheese with reduced fat and the other with fat free. Never missed the flavor. I even brought it to work and they didnt believe me when i told them. Thanks!!

Very good recipe! I decided to do this instead of pumpkin pie and my regular plain cheesecake. I've tried and failed with pumpkin cheesecake in the past but this one came out great! The only change I will make the next time is to mix some graham cracker crumbs into the gingersnap crumbs. The gingersnaps seem to carmelize a bit in the baking process. This may, of course, have been caused by too much butter. In any event, I topped it with fresh whipped cream sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice. Very pretty and very delicious!

YUM! I made this for Christmas, it was very good. I left the nuts out of the crust,(because my kids won't eat them) and it was still good. It makes more than 8 servings, very rich. I had to bake longer than 90 minutes to get the middle to set up. I used the pan of water under the cheesecake as was suggested elsewhere in All receipes, and had no problem with cracked top. It was pretty and yummy!

I made this recipe as an alternative to pumpkin pie for a family gathering. It was excellent! I did use heaping teaspoonfuls of the cinnamon and allspice. Per other reader's suggestions, I also cut down on the amount of butter in the crust to avoid any greasiness. Also, I think because I cut down on the amount of butter, my crust did not stick 2 inches up the side of the pan as instructed in the recipe. It ended up only being on the bottom. I would suggest trying to get the gingersnap and hazelnut mixture into a really, really fine grain. Mine was a bit crunchy! I also used a water bath. Baked it for about 1hr15m. Then let it sit for about 1/2 hour in the pan, outside of the oven, to cool.

This cheesecake is amazing and actually looks prettier than the picture on this website.

I actually only used the crust portion of this recipe for another pumpkin cheesecake.the crust was delicious, even without the nuts. One change I would make is to halve the butter,there was way too much and it oozed out of the bottom of the pan while cooking. If I hadn't had my pan wrapped in foil in a water bath, the butter would have been all over my oven!

This was ok

I love this recipe! I love the subtle pumpkin taste, but decided to go with graham cracker crust instead of gingersnap. I made this recipe last Thanksgiving and used honey instead of maple syrup as I didn't have any. It was great! So this year, I'm trying to cut some calories out and am experimenting with the recipe. I made the following changes: 2 pkgs of 1/3 less fat cream cheese and 1 pkg non fat, 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1 tsp. cinnamon instead of 3/4 tsp. as I was out of allspice. Also threw in 1 tsp. cinnamon to the graham cracker crust, as I was mixing it up. The result was a light creamy pumpkin cheesecake. It firmed up nicely overnight, and now have less than half sitting in the fridge only 12 hours after it was originally made. Three people did that damage, FYI. It has been requested at this year's Thanksgiving dinner as a prerequisite for attendence. Please note that the addition of pumpkin and cream allow for this cheesecake to be lighter, and even when one is using regular cream cheese it will not be as densed as regular New York Cheesecake, IMHO.

This was my first cheesecake that I have ever made. It was so simple and YUMMY! I shared it with my co-workers and everyone raved and requested their own copy to make for the holidays! Thanks also to the tips on this site on making cheesecakes! Those tips helped to ensure it came out perfectly!!

Very good- mix with hand mixer

Yummy! I substituted pecans for the hazelnuts. The- gingersnaps are a bear to crush but inspired idea and very tasty.

This cheesecake is delicious! I'm not a big pumpkin fan, but this is so good! I made it for a work party and EVERYONE asked for the recipe. I used both the pumpkin pie mix and the spices. I substituted pecans for the hazlenuts. Also, for the topping, I piped French Vanilla Cool-Whip over the whole thing, crumbled up gingersnaps, and drizzled with caramel. It was beautiful! No one could believe I made it! Definitely give this one a try - you won't be disappointed!

I received several requests for making this a part of our family Thanksgiving every year! All spices & vanilla were doubled plus an addition of 1/8 tsp ground cloves and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. With these modifications the recipe is perfectly flavored and deserves a 5 star rating. As written, it is a little bland.

I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. It turned out perfectly. I think years of making cheese cakes helps to know when it is ready and trust the finished product will be OK.

Great holiday favorite! Not overly sweet, so if you're looking for a sugary dessert, look for something else. Very savory. Will make again!

Well, the crust was absolutely delicious! Substituted pecans for the hazelnuts, threw those and the gingersnaps in the food processor, and it turned out perfect. I also sprinkled extra crust bits on the top--fantastic!

This was a big hit! I used pecans instead of hazelnuts and made a Maple Pecan Glaze for a topping. In medium size saucepan, combine 1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream and 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup; bring to a boil. Boil rapidly 15-20 min. or until slightly thickened; stir occ. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Cover and chill. Stir before serving. This is good over ice cream, too.

Excellent recipe... It can be turned into a "diabetic friendly" recipe also! Replace the ginger snaps with low-cal cookies and add a tsp. of ground ginger. Replace the sugar with fructose or sweetener (remember to reduce the amount, as fructose and sweeteners have a higher sweetening effect)Instead of maple syrup, add a tsp. of maple flavouring.

The filling was good but I found that the crust was very greasy and cooked alot faster than the inside. I probably wouldn't make this again but if I did I would use my own crust recipe.

This came out great! I forgot to pick up the gingersnap cookies, so I used graham crackers and seasoned them with 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. I used what I had on hand: pecans for the hazelnuts, two packages of regular cream cheese, one reduced fat and half & half for the cream. I also used half vanilla and half maple flavoring, and a good Grade B maple syrup. I rushed things cooling it so I ended up with a big crack - I made Maple Pecan Glaze (since I subbed pecans in the crust)from one of the other recipes here and served that on top. All in all, FABULOUS! Great flavor and texture, raves reviews. I have used gingersnap crusts in the past and like them, however the seasoned graham cracker was even better, I think. A bit more subtle flavor, but still recognizable as "gingersnap" - I think I'll do that again next time I do a pumpkin cheesecake!

I didn't have any hazelnuts so I used walnuts instead. The gingersnaps really make this an interesting cheesecake. It's a wondeful fall treat.

Excellent great alternative to pumpkin pie. I followed the recipe exactly and had great results. I have made this several times- I have topped it with a sweetened sour cream topping and that works well for a little twist.

This is the BEST cheesecake! I altered recipe as follows, turned out PERFECT: Crust: -Omitted brown sugar -4 Tbs butter (instead of 6) -Pecans instead of hazelnuts Cake: -Use REAL CREAM CHEESE (w/o gums or stabilizers; comes in a tube instead of brick and is naturally soft) -Use 1/2 FRESH ROASTED PUMPKIN (instead of canned); cut a medium pumpkin in 1/2, scoop out seeds and brush w/ a little butter & salt, roast at 350 for one hour, scoop out of shell & into cream cheese mixture (no electric tools needed, a wooden spatula works great!) -REDUCE SUGAR - use 1/2 cup dark brown sugar & 1/2 cup grade B organic maple syrup -Use 1/3 cup sour cream instead of heavy cream -Use 1/2 tsp vanilla powder instead of extract (to eliminate alcohol taste) -REDUCE EGGS - use 2 eggs instead of 4. In general I've found that cakes can be made w/ 1/2 the amount of sugar/butter/eggs called for and taste much better! In this I love the flavor & texture of FRESH pumpkin! Showcase the star ingredient, don't drown it out w/ sugar & eggs. Seriously, this tastes so much better with REAL FRESH ingredients - real cream cheese (instead of hard, sticky, gummy bricks of cheese) and FRESH ROASTED pumpkin (instead of slimy runny canned pumpkin). Give it a try! Also, I turned the oven off after about an hour and 20 minutes and just let it continue cooking/cooling for another 45 minutes or so in the oven - no cracking or sinking. A work of art!

Very good! I did subsitute pecans for hazelnuts, which completely hid that gingersnap taste rather than compliment. I will stick to the recipe next time!

This cheesecake was a big hit at our family Thanksgiving. I agree with other reviews that there is too much butter in the crust. I forgot to put a pan under it when it baked and all the butter dripped onto the bottom of the oven. So, If you are going to use all the butter, then put a pan underneith to catch the drips. I also made a pumpkin spiced whipped cream to go with it, that was really good!

Good recipe. I made it just as written and I didn't experience any of the troubles others reported, such as the crust being too high. If your cheesecake sinks, you're doing something wrong. Mine came out perfectly flat on top. I used the water bath, and no cracks. If your water bath is leaking, it's not because you didn't wrap the foil tight enough. It's because you used small foil. Get the large roll (18" wide) and tear off a big hunk, you'll have no problem, and it's cheaper than buying a turkey bag. Do heat the bath water up first, and be sure to check the water level during baking, top up as needed with more hot water. I had a little cheesecake mix left over so I tried making a couple cupcakes as some suggested, putting a gingersnap on the bottom of the cup and covering with the "batter". Didn't work out at all. Ugly, wrinkled and didn't taste very good.

I didn't actually make the cheesecake part of this recipe, but I had to give it a good rating for the CRUST. I used it with another, more traditional cheesecake recipe from this site and the combination was magic. Thanks for a new spin on an old classic!

I've made this a few times now and I love this concept. I've made it with both pecans and hazelnuts. I double the spices, and have also used fresh pumpkin which gives it such a different texture and flavor. I make this as opposed to pumpkin pie, and I like this much better. Still experimenting with the crust, as it does get soggy, but I think this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Never made this fancy kind of cheesecake before. But was pleasantly surprised with the result! Will definitely make again!! Listened to others suggestions: make CERTAIN to use a waterbath when baking; used 4 T of butter; used 1/4 c ground hazelnuts; added 1/2 t nutmeg. Will try another suggestion when I make again: bake for just over 1 hour, then turn oven off for final 30 min. This should make the texture more creamier. Absolutely best if eaten the following day after being in the refrigerator!

Wow! This was yummy!!! I agree with other users, there was too much butter in the crust... I would leave out at least 1 Tablespoon... but still very good. I used walnuts in place of hazlenuts and it was great! ALSO, you must have a food processer for those ginger snaps or it's impossible. :)

INCREDIBLE! WOW did my church family ever love this cheesecake.It came out Beautiful. I did make some changes tho. I didn't have any heavy cream so I substituted sour cream. I added extra spices since I know my husband and I like alot of flavor. For the crust I used extra ginger snaps and not hazelnuts since I'm not convinced my son can eat them yet. Then to keep the crust from cracking I used some simple tricks. 1: have a seperate container with water in the oven. 2: gently mix eggs then stir them in at the very end of mixing everything else. 3: only bake for 75-80 minutes then turn off oven and leave cake in for another half hour. hope your cake turns out as incredible as ours did!

This recipe was amazing! Tried it this year for Thanksgiving and everyone asked for more! Very light and fluffy. I did bake in a water bath to keep from cracking. I also only baked for one hour and then turned off the oven and left it in there another hour. I only used gingersnaps in the crust and lessened the butter to keep the crust less greasy. Turned out great, will definitely be making again.

Great recipe. I modified the amounts to make mini cheesecakes and it turned out great. I also left out the hazelnuts since I do not really like the flavor. I topped the mini cheesecakes with Bourbon Whipped Cream recipe I found on this site, and a store bought caramel sauce. The flavors of the gingersnap crust, the pumpkin and the whipped cream complemented each other very nicely. All my guests loved the cheesecake! I already have requests to make this for Thanksgiving this year!

I've never had a lot of luck with baked cheesecakes, but this one is perfect! I didn't use maple syrup the second time I made it, and it was fine. I set it in a water bath, and baked it for 60-70 minutes, and left it in the oven after turning it off, for half an hour. Not only did it look perfect, but it tasted wonderful!

This will definitely be a must have for holidays now. No luck finding gingersnap cookies so I made my own cookie dough & baked for 5 min. in pan before pouring in mix, it turned out great!

I really liked this cheesecake... I saw in other reviews people talking about the center of the cheesecake dropping and forming a crater. Mine also did this but I took advantage of this and filled the top with homemade whip cream. Sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Now the cheesecake both looked and tasted great!!! PS. Dont forget to put either a cookie sheet or foil below your springe form pan... this cheese cake drips... found out the hard way...Cleaning my oven now...

DEElish... we really enjoyed this for our thanksgiving dinner! Didn't have hazelnuts so I used walnuts..served with whipcream maple flavoured. Next time I would double spice and crust..just for our preference.

Made for Thanksgiving dessert and it was a big hit. Delicious.

I have made this 3 years in a row for my BF's bday - he asks for it all the time! The only change I've made is adding a sour cream topping and the only reason I added that is because I tend to get cracks in my cheesecakes.

Delicious my husband and I really like it I did add a little extra spices after reading the other reviews. The curst was perfect with the pumplin cheesecake combo. I will make this again to take to our holiday gatherings to share with my family. I think that the water bath would have been helpful because it did crack, but that certainly didn't take away from the flavor of the cheesecake. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!!! I love this website.

Made this for Thanksgiving bc I'm not a huge fan of pecan or plain pumpkin pie. This will be a holiday staple in our house now! Gingersnap crust is a wonderful compliment to the pumpkin yumminess.

YUMMY!!! I made this and it was a hit. I did have to cook mine 15 min longer and I didn't use the nuts in the crust. I would make this again. Thank you for the recipe.

This cheesecake was good when it was first served, but actually got better after being in the fridge for a few days. I would recommend toasting the nuts (I subbed pecans) before using them for a richer flavor & making it 2 days in advance of when you want to serve it to let the flavors fully develop. We also felt the texture improved after a few days; it became more dense which we like. I served it simply with some whipped cream on the side & it got rave reviews all Thanksgiving weekend. This cake can serve 12 easily; you'll get gigantic servings (truly too big as it is very rich) if you stick w/ the 8 serving yield. I've already had requests to make it again, so it's become a new holiday 'must have'. Thanks for sharing a winner!

I followed the recipe and am an experienced scratch baker. Even with some added nutmeg and extra cinnamon this was bland. The crust needed to be pre seasoned to be crisp. Not impressed nor were any who tried it. It was much better after sitting in the fridge overnight. When I served it 4 hours out of the oven it was mushy.

I wish I could rate this recipe better because the flavor was great, but too many things went wrong even though I followed the directions exactly. I did not have enough crust to bring it up the sides as much as directed to. (Although the crust tasted great & wasn't too buttery or greasy) I had more filling than would fit in a 9 inch springform pan, so I had to leave 1/3 of the batter out, and it still was too much filling. It cracked immediately and wouldn't set. I baked it for almost 2 hours before it set. It isn't cutting well either. It tasted good, but doesn't make a good presentation at all. Had to get up early to make another pie to bring to Thanksgiving as this one won't work. Dissapointing.

One of the best cheesecakes I have ever made/had. It is so very rich and creamy. I love both pumpkin & cheesecake so this was a perfect combination! I am not a baker but after seeing this, I just had to try it. We absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!!

This was really pretty good but I didn't like the allspice taste or maybe it was the maple syrup. I did use the nuts but used vanilla wafers as gingersnaps is not my favorite. If I try it again I will use corn syrup, some nutmeg and dash of cloves. An old trick my Mom always did was separate eggs; whip whites and than fold in. It has the same flavor but a lighter texture. I have my own version of a water bath: I put in a cold oven a a broiler pan on bottom shelf; fill with water and as the oven gets hot so does the water. This makes it moist without wrapping the bottom of cheesecake pan. I also mixed 1 cup sour cream with 2 T. sugar; spread over hot cheese cake, returned to oven and baked 5 min. more. Next time I would double topping but use only 3 T. sugar.

Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. Followed directions as is, no changes. The butter did drip out of the pan, so I would reduce the amount of butter in the crust next time.

Excellent!! Everyone was very impressed!

Really good, I esp. loved the gingersnap crust!

Wow, my first cheesecake and it turned out amazingly creamy and no cracks on top. I followed the tips that Allrecpes published on how to make a good cheesecake. Very yummy!

Quite tasty! I baked in a waterbath and substituted pecans for the hazelnuts following suggestions in the reviews. NOTE: I crushed my gingersnaps in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin --- worked great!

Good fudge that's really, really easy to make - my kids even make this fudge.