CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
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Crust:
- 1-2 cups of crushed Chocolate Graham crackers
- 1 stick of melted unsalted margarine or butter
- 1 Tbs. cocoa mix.
====== Mix ingredients well and press onto bottom of 10" springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes in a preheated 325 degree Fahrenheit oven.
Filling:
- 1 can(15oz) Solid Pack Pumpkin (Hill Country Fare??)
- 1.5 pkg(8oz) softened Neufchatel cheese(No fat cream cheese) or Cream cheese
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs. cocoa mix.
- 1/8 cup mini cocolate chips
====== Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the room temp cream cheese in a large bowl. Mix in sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and salt. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Mix in pumpkin and choclate chips. Mix well until consistent. Pour filling over graham cracker crust. Bake in 425 oven for 10 minutes. Lower oven temp to 325 for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn off the oven and let the cake sit in there for 5-10 minutes.
Let it cool down then refridgerate 3 hours or overnight. OR
Use the quick cool down method.(see below)
Notes:
Toothpick test: Insert toothpick into center of the cake. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done.
Softened Cream cheese: Either let the cheese sit outside the refridgerator until room temp, or microwave a cold block of cheese for 10-15 seconds until soft.(Take it out of the metallic wrapper and place it in a microwavable bowl)
Neufchatel cheese: It is still cream cheese but with no or really low fat. Just as tasty.
Quick cooldown method: Take an ice chest, enough ice to cover the bottom of a section of it larger than the springform pan. Place the cheesecake/springform pan over the ice. Close the ice chest. Make sure you take precautions that the water does not leak into or onto the cheesecake. Only use this method with metal pans/pots, as glass may shatter.
Notes about this cheesecake: This cheesecake tasted okay the day it was baked. It tastes even better after its been cooled overnight, then warmed up later in the microwave. It is one of those seasonal kinds of cheesecakes. The kind of season where it is cold outside like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
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