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Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe That Impresses

Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Creamy pumpkin cheesecake bars with a warmly spiced cookie crust and a beautiful cheesecake swirl. This 24-bar dessert is ideal for Thanksgiving, autumn parties, bake sales, and make-ahead entertaining.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 4 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 2 cups Finely crushed graham crackers or gingersnap cookies
  • 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt, if using unsalted graham crackers
Cheesecake Batter
  • 3 8-ounce packages Full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs Large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup Sour cream or heavy cream
Pumpkin Batter
  • 1 cup Pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1/3 cup Packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg Large egg
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon Ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the long sides to lift out the chilled bars.
  2. Combine the cookie crumbs, granulated sugar, melted butter, and salt. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan, then bake for 8–10 minutes and cool briefly.
  3. Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the three eggs one at a time, mixing only until incorporated, then blend in the vanilla and sour cream or heavy cream.
  4. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of plain cheesecake batter and set it aside. Stir the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into the remaining batter.
  5. Spread the pumpkin batter over the crust. Spoon the reserved plain cheesecake batter in evenly spaced dollops across the surface.
  6. Run a butter knife or skewer through the dollops in broad S-shaped motions. Make only a few deliberate passes so the ivory cheesecake remains distinct from the orange pumpkin batter.
  7. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle. If using an instant-read thermometer, look for approximately 150–155°F in the center.
  8. Cool the bars completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Lift them out using the parchment overhang and cut with a sharp knife wiped clean between slices.

Notes

Use full-fat block cream cheese rather than tub-style whipped cream cheese for the firmest texture. Choose pure pumpkin purée instead of pumpkin pie filling. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze tightly wrapped bars for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.