Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts

Pumpkin pie not your thing? Try this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts. Topped with a luscious Caramel Sauce, it will give pumpkin dessert a new meaning!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? NO? Me either. How does it always come down to this hectic frenzy right before holidays when I think I'm a planner? Luckily I had this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts in the works. I first published it TEN years ago; it was time for an update. The recipe stays the same but the photos...well, it was time plus so many of my wonderful readers haven't seen some of my posts of recipes that are as wonderful today as they were a decade ago...I'm making them still; so should you!

Me, of the 'oh stop with the pumpkin in August' attitude is now, finally, ready to get onboard. With some REAL pumpkin. If canned pumpkin is your thing...go for it, but if you ever have the time and opportunity, try using some of the orange squash...it is amazing!

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I discovered the most amazing pumpkin variety a few years ago called Cinderella, and they are a double whammy winner. Gorgeous in appearance so they sit out front for decoration for a bit but also the best tasting pumpkin I've ever had. I think much better than the more well-known Sugar Pumpkins I've pictured.

Have you ever harvested a fresh pumpkin for your fall pumpkin needs? For most of my life I just bought a pumpkin, carved it with my kids and then pitched it.

Since our carving pumpkin years are over, I now buy baking pumpkins for decoration then bring them in after Halloween to make into pumpkin puree. In this case, it lasted a year...the puree for this Pumpkin Cheesecake was frozen last year! Still, it's easy and the results are wonderful.

If you are so inclined to use your own pumpkin, it's easy. Clean the pumpkin of all seeds and strings, rub with vegetable oil and bake at 350 degrees until you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the outer shell and puree it using a blender or food processor.

I like to simmer mine for a bit on the stove to cook out some of the water but that can also be done after they're thawed too. My FoodSaver is my champion once they're cooked; I put 15 oz into each one; the same as the amount that comes in the cans. So easy and so good; try it!

This was really an easy dessert. I had some gingersnaps (why the crust looks so brown) in the pantry and pumpkin in the freezer so that combination spoke to me. I put walnuts into the crust as well on on top of the pie; I called it 'Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts' so thought I had better deliver.

Substitute pecans if you prefer, but either one, toast them first. Nuts take on a different taste when toasted and I love them more. I also made a bourbon caramel sauce using this recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce.

For the bourbon flavor in the caramel sauce, I substituted some of the cream with bourbon; to taste. I did a quarter cup and we loved it but use from 2-4 Tablespoons to get a nice flavor without overpowering it with booze.

I've got a couple of other pumpkin desserts you might also enjoy as well as a handful of delicious cocktails, and one amazing pasta dish made with pumpkin. Enjoy!