Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 25 gingersnap cookies (2 cups or 25 2-inch cookies)
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup cooked pumpkin
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f. for crust place cookies in large food processor; process into fine crumbs. add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and melted butter; process just until combined. press into bottom of 9 -inch springform pan; set aside.
• 2 for filling place cream cheese and 1 cup of the sugar in food processor; process until smooth. add pumpkin, melted chocolate, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg; process until combined. pour into crust-lined pan. place springform pan in shallow baking pan.
• 3 bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken. remove; cool on wire rack 30 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, for almond topping combine almonds, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon sugar in food processor; cover and process until combined. spread evenly in shallow baking pan. bake 10 to 12 minutes until toasted, stirring occasionally.
• 5 sprinkle almond topping on cheesecake. loosen and remove sides of springform pan. cool cheesecake 1 hour more. cover loosely; chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
• 6 ** cool and chill time extra and not included in prep or cooking time.