The tree was decorated this week with help from Ginger, Ken, and Brian.
I finally made a Pumpkin-chocolate swirl cheesecake I've been wanting to try. . . yum!
(I used 1 regular cream cheese and left 1/4 cup of brown sugar out so not as sweet. Also had to transfer mixture to large bowl after adding second ingredients and finish with hand mixer since my food processor was not large enough to hold all ingredients. This is a tall cheese cake so make sure your springform pan is pretty deep.)
CHOCOLATE CRUST
* 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
CHEESECAKE
* 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
* 2 cups low fat cottage cheese
* 2 (8 ounce) packages neufchatel cheese, softened
* 2 cups light brown sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1/3 cup flour
* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
* 1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
* 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
MAKE CHOCOLATE CRUST: Coat 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of springform pan. Bake 10 minutes.
MAKE CHEESECAKE FILLING: Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium power, stirring every 30 seconds to heat evenly. Set aside.
In food processor, blend cottage cheese until smooth (about 3 minutes). Add Neufchatel cheese, brown sugar, eggs, and flour. Process until smooth. Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. Process 1 minute, or until smooth.
Whisk 1 cup of the cheese batter into the melted chocolate. Pour remaining batter into crust. Spoon dollops of chocolate mixture onto batter and swirl with a knife.
Bake the cheesecake for 1-1/2 hours, or until the top is firm and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Chill well before unmolding and serving.