Try this Cheesecake Pumpkin Bars in a Jar recipe
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 13 1/2 oz. can evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1 1/4 cups crushed gingerbread cookies
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 3/4 cup milk (i prefer whole)
- Carbohydrate 211.088026932209 g
- Cholesterol 229.725 mg
- Fat 86.0913623665312 g
- Fiber 46.4206823270229 g
- Protein 17.4452726999051 g
- Saturated Fat 53.0865069166269 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1041g)
- Sodium 1492.97672666547 mg
- Sugar 164.667344605186 g
- Trans Fat 7.40988351661803 g
- Calories 1627 calories
Step-by-step
- For Pumpkin Bar Filling: Add all ingredients to a large bowl and combine by hand until creamy. Set aside while preparing crust.
- For Gingerbread Crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl, add melted butter to crushed gingerbread cookies. Take 5-6 wide mouth half pint jars and spray with non-stick spray. Using about 1/4 cup gingerbread crust per jar, spread evenly over bottom of jar. Place jars on cookie sheet and set in oven for five minutes.
- Remove jars from oven and immediately pour pumpkin filling over top, being sure to not fill jar to top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until center is set.
- After baking, set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- For Cheesecake Filling: Place room temperature cream cheese into mixer and add superfine sugar, most of your milk, and vanilla. Start mixer on slow, then slowly move up to medium speed. Mix for about 2 minutes.
- Carefully spoon cheesecake filling over the top of your cooled pumpkin filling. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
- Topping Options: Top with whipped cream, crushed gingersnap cookies, caramel sauce, cinnamon, or any flavor you desire!
Cream cheese anchors this entire preparation, acting as both a stabilizer and a rich dairy base that requires proper temperature management before mixing. Bringing the eight-ounce block to room temperature ensures it incorporates smoothly with the superfine sugar and milk without leaving lumps. When whipping this dairy component, start the mixer on low speed to prevent splattering before advancing to medium speed for precisely two minutes. This specific timeframe aerates the mixture just enough to create a pipeable consistency while maintaining the density needed to layer cleanly over the baked pumpkin base.
Converting this recipe for gluten-free diets centers entirely on the crust layer, which utilizes one and one-quarter cups of crushed cookies bound by melted butter. Standard wheat-based gingerbread cookies can easily be replaced with certified gluten-free ginger snaps processed to a fine meal. To bind this crumb mixture properly without wheat flour, ensure the butter is completely liquid so every particle hydrates evenly before pressing a quarter cup into each greased jar. Baking these miniature crusts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes sets the butter fats and toasts the spices.
Dairy-free substitutions require attention to fat percentages when swapping both the evaporated milk and the cream cheese. Full-fat canned coconut milk can replace the evaporated milk in the pumpkin filling, though it will impart a subtle coconut aroma that complements the cinnamon and allspice. For the cheesecake layer, plant-based cream cheese alternatives often contain less moisture than dairy blocks, meaning the three-fourths cup of milk specified should be added one tablespoon at a time until the blade achieves vortex. Chill the assembled jars in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving to allow the starches and plant fats to firm up completely.
Baking desserts inside glass mason jars introduces unique thermal dynamics that demand careful handling of heat and cooling rates. Placing the wide-mouth half-pint jars onto a sturdy metal cookie sheet provides even heat distribution in the 350-degree oven and prevents thermal shock breakage. The pumpkin filling bakes successfully in 20 to 25 minutes, but the test for doneness relies on a visual cue rather than a timer: the center must look completely set and free of any liquid jiggle. Allowing the glass containers to cool gradually on the counter prevents hairline fractures before the final dairy layer is piped inside.
