I wanted to do something exciting this weekend to mark the beginning of fall weather. I found some inspiration by combining pumpkin and chocolate – what’s not to love about that, right? And this combination was made even more special because I was able to use gluten free chocolate cookie crumbs, making this seriously decadent dessert something that was legal for folks in my family who have gluten allergies.

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:

8 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs ( used this brand of GF crumbs for mine)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter, melted

For the filling:

3, 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
2 teaspoons pie spice
3 eggs, at room temperature

Combine the crust ingredients. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a springform pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together, mixing until smooth. Add the pumpkin, pie spice and eggs, blending until all ingredients have been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour into springform pan over the cookie crust, smoothing the top so it is even.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove from the springform pan and place cheesecake in the refrigerator and chill completely.

Serve topped with whipped cream.