My daughter does not buy school lunches.  She thinks it’s special to take her own.  This week I was going to make cheesecake squares for her lunch treat.  Since it’s all nice and crisp outside, I thought that it would be nice to swirl in some sweet potato.  No such luck…I didn’t have any sweet potatoes on hand nor did I have time to cook them.  I did have a can of organic pumpkin puree.  It worked beautifully!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares
Makes 9 squares

Crust:
1 box Swedish Ginger Snaps, crushed
2 tablespoons milk

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8oz. bar cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Filling:
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup cheesecake filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 8×8 square baking pan with parchment.  In a shallow dish, combine cookie crumbs and milk.   Work mixture into a crumbly dough.  Press into bottom of prepared baking pan and set aside.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add egg and mix well.  Stir in sour cream and vanilla, until well blended.  Reserve ½ cup of this mixture.  Pour remaining cheesecake mixture over crust and set aside.

In a bowl, mix pumpkin with sugars, spices and vanilla.  Add egg and beat well.  Stir in the ½ cup reserved cheesecake mixture until well blended.  Pour pumpkin mixture over cheesecake mixture, leaving unmixed areas.  Using the point of a knife or a toothpick, swirl through mixtures to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before cutting into squares.