Pumpkin Everything: No-bake pumpkin cheesecake

I’m challenging myself to put my Pinterest boards to the ultimate test; scour Pinterest for energy-efficient, nutritious and most importantly delicious fall and winter recipes.

It’s no secret that pumpkin is the latest fall flavor craze. Did you know there’s even a National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day? As a tribute to this tasty treat, I wanted to find a no-bake version that is just as yummy! Why use the oven and, and frankly do all of that work if you don’t have to? And hey, no bake means that it’s fast. So fast, in fact, that it went from start to stomach pretty darn quickly.

So as usual, I searched my Pinterest boards and found this recipe which is available on the Joanna Meyer Culinary Creative Blog and made a few of my own tweaks. The original recipe called for the use of a food processor and mixer, but I don’t mind going old school and it was more amusing for the little one to help me. The result? See for yourself…

What you need:

For the crust

1 sleeve graham crackers (approximately 9 crackers)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1-ounce package cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, plus extra for garnish if desired

How to make it:

1. Place the graham crackers in a plastic food storage bag and crush them into fine crumbs using your hands or a rolling pin. My daughter found this particularly delightful. You can use a food processor or mixer for this recipe, but I’d rather do this myself and also let the little one put all of that extra energy to good use.
2. Once the graham crackers are crushed, add the melted butter, sugar and brown sugar until well combined.
3. Spoon the crumbs into individual 9-ounce cups. Place in the refrigerator to set while you prepare the filling.
4. In a large mixing bowl, stir/whip the cream cheese until light and creamy.
5. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and pudding mix and stir/whip until well incorporated.
6. Add the sweetened condensed milk, and mix again until well combined.
7. Mix in the frozen whipped topping. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for about one hour to firm up.
8. Spoon the pumpkin mixture over the graham cracker crust in each cup. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with additional whipped topping, if desired.

This was very easy and if you love pumpkin as much as I do, it’s guaranteed to please. Give this a recipe a try and let me know what your favorite pumpkin recipe is for fall.