Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with a Graham Cracker Crust (Print-Friendly Version)

A pumpkin-and-cream-cheese filling bakes over a pre-baked graham crust in a nine-inch square pan. Use a deep pan with space below the rim and chill the bars thoroughly before cutting. The center should set gently rather than puff and crack from vigorous mixing or overbaking.

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# Ingredients You’ll Need:

→ Base

01 - 2 cups crushed graham crackers

02 - 1/4 cup white sugar

03 - 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

→ Cheesecake Filling

04 - 24 ounces softened cream cheese

05 - 3/4 cup white sugar

06 - 3 large eggs

07 - 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

09 - 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

10 - 1 tablespoon plain flour (optional, adds stability)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat the oven to 350°F and line a deep 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment.

02 - Mix graham crumbs, one-quarter cup sugar and melted butter. Press into an even base and bake for eight to ten minutes.

03 - Let the crust cool slightly while preparing filling. Beat softened cream cheese with the separate three-quarter cup sugar until smooth.

04 - Add eggs one at a time on low speed.

05 - Mix in plain pumpkin puree, vanilla, spice and the optional tablespoon of flour just until combined. Spread over the crust with room below the pan rim.

06 - Bake, checking from twenty-five minutes and continuing until the edges are set, the center no longer ripples and the filling reaches 160°F. Cool briefly, refrigerate within two hours and chill at least four hours before cutting.

# Extra Suggestions:

01 - Use a deep nine-by-nine-inch square pan lined with parchment extending above two sides. Measure the two sugar portions into separate bowls: one-quarter cup belongs with the graham crumbs and three-quarters cup with the cream cheese. Soften the cheese before mixing so lumps can be worked out before the eggs are added. Once the eggs go in, use low speed and stop when incorporated rather than whipping a foam. The deep nine-inch square pan is intentional; an eight-inch pan makes a thicker layer and the same short bake cannot be assumed. Leave clearance below the rim rather than forcing excess filling into a shallow dish. A slight movement of the whole center differs from a loose liquid ripple; check the filling temperature as well. Refrigerate within two hours, chill at least four hours, and slice cold with a knife wiped between cuts. Store covered in the refrigerator for three to four days. The cooling and chilling periods are separate from the oven time.

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