5.5ounces (75 grams)Elizabeth’s pumpkin granola, (you can also do entirely gingersnap cookies and add in another 75g of cookies)
2tablespoonsunsalted butter,, melted
pinchsalt
Filling:
1poundcream cheese
4ozsour cream
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
2eggs
1/3cup+ 1 tablespoon (78g)sugar
3/4teaspoondiamond kosher salt (if using any other salt, use half the amount)
1teaspoonfresh lemon juice
1/4tsppumpkin pie spice
1/2cuppumpkin puree
1teaspoonpumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 9x9 or 8x8 square baking dish with parchment paper (see above for details on how).
Place gingersnap cookies and granola in food processor and grind until fine in texture.
Add butter to a medium, heat-proof bowl and melt by microwaving for about 20-30s. Add in ground-up gingersnap cookies and a pinch of salt. Combine with your hands until you have the texture of wet sand.
Press crust into parchment-lined pan until you have an even layer. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly before adding in cream cheese mixture.
Add room temperature cream cheese and sour cream to large heat-proof bowl (see my SUPER IMPORTANT note above about making sure these are at room temperature- this is KEY). Cream with a handheld mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds or so.
Add in sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Cream again for another 30 seconds or so, until smooth and uniform.
Remove about 1/2 cup of the mixture and place in a small bowl. Add in pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice and beat with handheld mixer until smooth.
Pour about 5/6 of the white batter into the pan. Then add the pumpkin mixture on top, followed by the remaining white batter. Using a butter knife, gently use the tip of the knife to pull through and create a marble design on top.
Lower oven temperature to 325. Place cheesecake in oven and bake 20-24 minutes, until the outside has set and the inside wobbles just a bit (see above note for why I have a range and the difference). Once done, DO NOT remove the cheesecake. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit in oven with the door slightly ajar for another 20 minutes.
Remove cheesecake and let sit at room temperature until fully cool before placing in fridge, covered with foil or plastic wrap, for at least 5-6 hours (I personally like to do this the day before serving just to be safe).