Layered Pumpkin-Cheesecake Pie

There are many reasons why this pie came into existence: 1) Two gigantic cans of pumpkin puree kept whispering to me every time I opened my baking cabinet (they had been hastily stockpiled back in the Fall when I'd heard about the Great Pumpkin Shortage, not realizing that it did not affect my area...) as well as two graham cracker crusts, 2) there was not one single from-scratch cookie or muffin left in the house and it was starting to drive me insane, and 3) when given the choice between pumpkin muffins and pie, Michael chose pie. (I might make muffins anyway, shhh!)




The cheesecake layer was...inspired. I was going to divide my pumpkin pie filling between the two graham cracker crusts, and I somehow intuitively knew (by my super ninja mental calculation skillz, of course) that there would be a little extra volume to spare in each crust, so I figured, why not add a mini cheesecake layer?? And because pumpkin swirl cheesecake is SO yesterday, I decided to keep the cheesecake and pumpkin separate for an elegant, layered look.

So I scaled down a generic cheesecake filling recipe to proportion for one block of cream cheese (8 oz), divided the batter between the two crusts, and portioned the pumpkin pie filling on top. And the crusts were perfectly filled to maximum capacity!




I liked this rendition of pumpkin pie a lot. Graham cracker crusts aren't the most common crust choice for pumpkin pie, but it went very well with the lightly spiced filling; and of course, graham cracker crusts are standard for cheesecakes, so the total package came out as a harmony of creamy, sweet spiced flavors.




Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie (pumpkin pie filling recipe adapted from Libby's on-the-can recipe)

Ingredients:

2 9-inch graham cracker crusts (bought)

Pumpkin Pie Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
half a 29-oz can of pumpkin puree (approx. 2 cups, or 14.5 oz)
2 eggs
1 14-oz can evaporated milk

Cheesecake Filling:
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened (regular or low-fat is fine)
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (would have used sour cream if I had any)
splash of vanilla
1 egg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In one bowl, whisk together all the pumpkin pie filling ingredients. In another bowl, using either an electric mixer or a whisk, mix together all the cheesecake filling ingredients.

Divide the cheesecake mixture between the two graham cracker crusts. Spread and smooth it out so it covers the entire bottom surface of the crust. Then divide the pumpkin pie filling mixture evenly between the two crusts. I used a scale to divide the cheesecake filling evenly, taring the crusts before starting. Then I scooped equal amounts of pumpkin filling into both crusts, going back and forth until I ran out of filling. This should result in crusts filled to the brim.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20-30 minutes, or until the middle is set and a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. Cool, serve, enjoy!