Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

This desert was adapted from an LCBO recipe.  Cheesecake is a favourite dessert with my family and with a little variation to the graham cracker crumb base, you can easily make this dessert gluten free.  This recipe makes about 50 small cheesecake squares so it’s a great idea to freeze a large portion of this recipe and take out as you need them.

Ingredients:

GF Graham Cracker Crumbs:

• 1 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/3 cup butter

Filling:

• 4 (8oz) packages of cream cheese at room temperature (easier to mix)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger, nutmeg & allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Make graham cracker crumbs by mixing the first six ingredients together with an electric mixer (everything except for the butter).  Spread evenly in a 9×13″ pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, stir until well crumbled and return to oven and bake another 10 minutes until browned evenly.
3. Melt butter and stir with graham crumb mixture.  Line the 9×13″ pan with parchment paper, with ends coming up and over the sides so you will be able to easily lift out cheesecake at the end.  Press mixture into base of pan and bake another 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy.  Add vanilla and sugar then eggs one at a time.  Add pumpkin, cornstarch and spices.  Stir in sour cream.
5. Pour onto baked base and bake 45 minutes (until set but filling jiggles).  Turn off oven and leaving oven door slightly ajar, leave in oven for one hour.  Cool completely then refrigerate overnight.
6. Remove cheesecake using parchment paper.  Trim edges, then cut into small squares.