Holiday Desserts: Double-Gingerbread Cheesecake

A gingersnap crust + creamy spiced filling = heaven on a plate!

By Erica Clark

Ages

3-13

Holiday Desserts: Double-Gingerbread Cheesecake

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gingersnap crumbs (from about 40 cookies crushed in a food processor)
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp molasses
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325?F and wrap the outside of a 9" springform pan with heavy-duty foil.
  2. Mix cookie crumbs, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Using your hands or the bottom of a glass, press mixture into bottom of pan and about 1 ½ inches up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes; set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
  3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in molasses.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, then add to cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Pour filling into the prepared crust.
  5. Set cheesecake in a large roasting pan on an oven rack, then carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off oven and let cheesecake continue cooking in the residual heat for 1 hour more (do not open oven door). Remove to a rack to cool completely before releasing springform pan.
  6. Immediately before serving, gently set a gingerbread-man cookie cutter on the cheesecake and sprinkle top of cake with powdered sugar. Carefully lift off cookie cutter.

Plus: More Gingery Treats!
Gingerbread Fudge
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Hot Cocoa with Spiced Whipped Cream

Photo Credit: Ryan Liebe

Raising Kids
Age 13
Age 12
Age 11
Age 10
Age 9
Age 8
Age 7
Age 6
Age 5
Age 4
Age 3
Hobbies, Play, Recreation