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It’s that time of year again! No, it’s not quite Christmas or time for final examinations, but fall has arrived!
With the season of autumn upon us, I find myself digging out some old fall-style recipes. To me, fall has always been full of hot beverages and delicious sweet desserts. One such dessert is the Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake. I’m always a fan of any type of cheesecake, and when it has pumpkin in it, it’s always a bonus. The recipe for this delicious delicacy is listed below with prep time taking approximately 20 minutes and cooking about four hours on a high temperature. The serving size is approximately eight slices and the cheesecake itself is an excellent source of vitamin A!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
- 12 gingersnap cookies
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- 3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
- 2 packages cream cheese (8 oz. block style)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
Directions:
- Pulse the gingersnap cookies in food processor until they are fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter and brown sugar.
- Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a well-greased, 7-inch spring form pan. Chill until ready to fill.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan.
- Cover bottom of pan with heavy duty foil coming up above the sides of the pan. Cover the top of the pan with another sheet of foil forming a dome and seal the foil edges shut. You want to make sure you prevent water and steam from leaking in.
- Place in slow cooker and add boiling water until it reaches one inch up the side of the pan. Set cooker to high and cook for 4 hours.
- Mix sour cream and brown sugar together. Spread over top of cheesecake and serve.
While Desserts are great at any hour sometimes you just feel like a drink. By that, I am not just referring to alcoholic drinks but many sweet and spicy fall refreshments! One of my many favourites is the Quick Pumpkin Spice Latte. This is perfect for when you’re in a rush or just on your way out the door. After all who doesn’t love lattes? This quick style beverage only takes five minutes to prepare and five minutes to cook. Although it only yields one serving, you’ll find the spiced latte not only delicious but filling as well.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup brewed espresso
Directions:
- Whisk 1/2 cup milk, sugar, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup milk.
- Pour milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove pulp. Return milk mixture to saucepan and simmer, whisking, 2 minutes.
- Add espresso and whisk until foamy, 1 minute.
These two recipes are just a couple out of the delightful Canadian fall cuisine. We may not be at Christmas just yet but the doesn’t mean we cant enjoy spiced beverages and tasty cakes. These are my go to recipes as soon as the leaves fall, what are yours?