Name: Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Glaze
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 10 h 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the crust:; 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs; 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans; 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar; 4 T. butter, melted and cooled; For the filling:; 1 1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin; 3 large eggs; 1 1/2 t. cinnamon; 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 t. ground ginger; 1/2 t. salt; 1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar; 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened; 1/2 c. granulated sugar; 2 T. heavy cream (I substituted Half & Half); 1 T. cornstarch (I substituted 1/4 c. flour); 1 t. vanilla; 1 T. bourbon; For the topping:; 2 c. sour cream; 2 T. granulated sugar; 1 T. bourbon; 16 pecan halves for garnish

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This recipe for Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Glaze is one of the most amazing Thanksgiving Desserts you’ll ever try!

A dessert to give thanks for, that will take a seat of honor amongst all your other Thanksgiving desserts!

My daughter LOVES my Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie, AND she loves my blueberry cheesecake, too. She was TORN between which to ask for for her birthday dessert. And then, I remembered this cheesecake that I made for Thanksgiving, probably around 10 years ago.

“How would pumpkin cheesecake suit you, my dear?” I inquired. She thought it might just do admirably, and so, that’s what she got.

The review from my family: they all liked it very much. My son, who was sure he would hate it, since he hates pumpkin pie, has had 3 pieces so far, so I’d say it was a hit for him, for sure. It’s also my sister-in-law’s favorite, which quite possibly won me a place in her heart.

So, if you enjoy looking for and trying out recipes in advance for Thanksgiving, and if you love cheesecake, you might want to give this one a trial run at your house.

Make This Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake a Day in Advance

As with most cheesecakes, you will need to make it the day/evening before you need it, to give it time to chill in the fridge overnight. (This is actually an advantage on Thanksgiving, I think: one less thing to make the day OF.)

The recipe I first found all those years ago through Gourmet magazine, and found it last week at epicurious.com.

I only modified it slightly. All three modifications were due to not having the ingredients on hand that the recipe called for. First, I didn’t realize that I was completely out of cornstarch (I substituted a scant 1/4 c. of flour instead, and that worked out fine) and I also had only about half the sour cream I needed for the glaze, so the glaze was spread thinner than I would have preferred, but it still ended up being just fine. I had no heavy cream, and so I substituted half and half in its place, and that worked out fine as well.

The recipe I’m giving you today is just as it appears on epicurious.com, but I’m letting you know that I had success even though I had to make a few modifications.

Simple, but elegant.

The Recipe for Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Glaze:

Yield: 12 servings

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Glaze

This Thanksgiving dessert is delicious, and a showstopper. Make it the day before you plan to serve it.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Additional Time 9 hours

Total Time 10 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
4 T. butter, melted and cooled
For the filling:
1 1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 T. heavy cream (I substituted Half & Half)
1 T. cornstarch (I substituted 1/4 c. flour)
1 t. vanilla
1 T. bourbon
For the topping:
2 c. sour cream
2 T. granulated sugar
1 T. bourbon
16 pecan halves for garnish

Instructions

Make the crust:
In a bowl combine the cracker crumbs, the pecans, and the sugars, stir in the butter, and press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2" up the side of a buttered 9" springform pan. Chill the crust for 1 hour.
Make the filling: In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, spices, and the brown sugar. In a large mixer bowl, cream together the cream cheese and the granulated sugar, beat in the cream, cornstarch, vanilla, bourbon, and the pumpkin mixture. Beat the filling till it's smooth. Turn the mixer off, scrape the bottom of the bowl (a layer of cream cheese sometimes clings there) and mix for a few seconds more.
Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350º oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is just set, and let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.
Make the topping: In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar and bourbon. Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for 5 more minutes. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight. Remove the side of the pan and garnish the top of the cheesecake with the pecan halves.

Notes

Don't forget: make this before the day you want to serve it. It's actually quite easy to throw together.

Thanksgiving Desserts You Might Also Like

I try to add a new dish each year. Maybe this year, you'd like to try a recipe at your house, that you've never tried before. I have several for your consideration, and each one is a proven winner!