National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day: Baked in Chocolate Cookie Crust

Today is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day: Add Chocolate...I love pumpkin and chocolate... and cheesecake is my thing, so here's an easy recipe for a Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake! Celebrate.  

Great for Halloween and Thanksgiving!

The filling for this pumpkin cheesecake is adapted from Hershey's Kitchens. I like this recipe because it includes Mini-Chocolate Chips in the filling! I don't like the original chocolate cookie crust from Hershey's, so I'm posting one of my favorites. Of course you can always just make a chocolate cookie crust with crushed chocolate wafers and a bit of melted butter, but try the one below.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE IN CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

Ingredients

1 Chocolate Cookie Crust (see two possible recipes below)

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Prepare Chocolate Cookie Crust. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl until well blended. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until well blended. Fold in mini-chocolate chips; pour batter into prepared crust. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F; continue baking 60 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan.
Refrigerate about 5 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

30 chocolate wafers (Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers makes about 1-1/2 cups crumbs)
5 Tbsp sweet butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract

1. Put cookies in container of food processor; process until finely ground.
2. Transfer crumbs to mixing bowl; combine crumbs, butter, salt, and vanilla; stir until crumbs are moistened.
3. Press mixture evenly across the bottom of 9-inch springform pan and all the way up sides of pan; pack tightly so crust is even and compacted.
4. Bake in 350° oven for 6-8 minutes or until crisp.
5. Let cool completely before filling.