In the last 24 hours, I successfully used an entire carton of eggs on pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting and pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust.

Here’s the recipe for the Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Filing:

3 packages cream cheese (8oz each)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 dash ground cloves

Crust:

2 cups finely crushed ginger snaps

6 tbs melted butter

For the Crust:  Mix the ginger snap crumbs and butter.  Press onto bottom and sides of 9″ springform pan.

For the Filling:  

• Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until well blended.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the plain batter.
• Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.
• Spoon 1/2 of the pumpkin batter over crust; top with spoonfuls of 1/2 of the reserved plain batter.
• Repeat layers.  Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake:

• 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until center is almost set if using a silver pan.
• Or, bake at 300 degrees for 55 minutes if using a dark nonstick pan.
• Let cool completely, then refrigerate for four hours before serving.

Just a few tips….you will want to take out just when the top of the cheesecake has set.  It will seem a little jiggly still…that’s okay.  Take it out and set it on a cooling rack for a few hours until it is completely cooled.  Then, pop it into the refrigerator.  I don’t take the springform off until it is cooled.  I have learned the hard way!

Last, but not least…make sure your helpers are at your feet:

Oh…and a picture of the finished pumpkin bars:

Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving….