Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
For a last minute holiday dessert, Cookie and Kate created a super simple pumpkin treat recipe without the hassle and mess of a full-on pie. Follow this guide, and you'll get a fool-proof holiday dessert that everyone will love!
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 cups
Ingredients
Pecan & Graham Cracker Topping
- ⅓ cup pecan halves
- 2 graham crackers (1 sheet), broken into 1″ pieces
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice blend
Cheesecake Mouse
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into 1” cubes
- ½ cup thick, plain whole-milk yogurt
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Mousse
- 1 can (15 ounces or 1 ⅞ cups) pumpkin purée
- ½ cup thick, plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice blend
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, make the pecan and graham cracker topping: Toast the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a food processor and add the broken graham crackers and pumpkin spice blend.
- Process the mixture for about 10 seconds, until the pecans and grahams are broken into tiny pieces (you may need to break up a few persistent pieces between your fingers, to avoid turning the mixture into nut butter). Transfer the mixture to a bowl and wipe out the food processor with a clean tea towel for the next step.
- To make the cheesecake mousse: In the food processor, combine the cream cheese (6 ounces of it), yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. It’s ok if a bit of it remains in the food processor for the next step.
- To make the pumpkin mousse: In the food processor, combine the pumpkin purée, yogurt, the remaining 2 ounces of cream cheese, maple syrup, pumpkin spice blend, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom as necessary.
- To assemble, transfer about 2 ounces (¼ cup) of the pumpkin purée to each of your 8 cups. Top each with about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of the cream cheese mixture—you might have a bit leftover; just divide it between the cups. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of the pecan and graham cracker topping.
- Serve immediately, or better yet, cover and refrigerate for later (they’ll thicken up somewhat over time, which I like—they’ll keep for up to 2 days in the fridge).
