Halloween Recipe Winner #2... Organic Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares
Fall, delicious, Dessert, easy, fall, halloween, Healthy, Lassens natural foods market, organic, Pumpkin, Treat

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The bats are flapping their leathery wings against the Autumn breeze which carries the distant howl of a werewolf. Meanwhile, in an ancient castle teetering menacingly on a jagged cliff, a congregation of witches, ghouls and beasts guzzle down potions from bubbling cauldrons and laboratory beakers and dance the night away to the grizzly musical stylings of a five-piece jazz band of the undead. Children hop up and down neighborhood streets dressed as goblins, super heroes and troubled celebrities, all on a mission to seek out the one thing that can placate their mischievous nature on this Halloween night.... SWEETS!
Come the 31st of October, I know my sweet tooth gets extra sharp and my eyes get wide for anything of the sugary persuasion. So I ask you, what better to sooth this savage beast than the creamy, spicy, & perfectly crumbly 2nd winner of our Halloween Recipe Challenge: Organic Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares? That is of course a rhetorical question, the answer being...dreamy eyed, slack jawed awe.
This recipe was shared with us by Carrie, a lovely customer from our Lassens store in Thousand Oaks. Not only was this recipe so absolutely mouth watering, but it is SO easy to make!

Ingredients

For the Crust:
1 cup flour (try Arrowhead Mills organic flour, or 1/2 cup regular flour and 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill coconut flour)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter (or for a reduced fat option, 6 tablespoons of applesauce with 2 tablespoons Earth Balance)
1/2 cup raw chopped walnuts

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger (or use pumpkin pie spice blend)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the crust, blend ingredients in food processor until a ball forms. It's really tempting to go to town on that ball of dough before you get a chance to make the cheesecake portion, but if you have the determination and restraint, I suggest you hold out because the more crust on this dessert, the more scrumptious.
Press ball into 8x8 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let crust cool.
Blend filling ingredients until smooth. Pour mixture over cooled crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set. Let cool and cut into squares and enjoy!
Present this dish in lovely bite sized squares to your guests this Halloween and watch how, like magic, they disappear!

What sounds good ?