Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

[rootofnewt]

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Makes 20 bars

Crust
1 1/4 cups pecans or pecan pieces
3 TB sugar
5 tsp butter or margarine

Filling
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp unbleached white flour (I'll probably just use sorghum flour)
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
Cooking spray or oil

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spray or oil an 8-inch square baking pan. Whirl pecans in food processor until finely chopped. Add sugar and butter and pulse until combined. (Mixture will form large clumps.) Scrape nut mixture into prepared pan. With dampened hands, press mixture firmly into place, pressing up the sides of pan about 1/4 inch. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely on wire rack. Leave oven set to 350º.

2. By hand or using an electric mixer or in the same processor bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, flour, pumpkin, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Blend well.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into cooled crust and bake until center is set and firm when pressed gently in center, about 30 minues. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight before cutting into squares.

Veggie Life, Winter 2003-2004, p22