These yummy cheesecake bars incorporate two of fall and Thanksgiving's favorite flavors—pumpkin and pecan—into one delicious holiday dessert. You can serve them straight from the pan in a buffet style dinner, or dress them up on a plate for a party by drizzling a little chocolate or cranberry sauce over the top for a fancier treat.

Ingredients

• 2 cups crushed graham crackers (into crumbs)
• ½ cup crushed pecans
• ½ cup butter
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 32 ounces canned pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar

• ¼ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• whole pecans for the top

Instructions

1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, the crushed pecans, and the butter with a fork in a medium size bowl. This mixture will be the crust.

3.
When all the crust ingredients are well mixed, pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch pan and press evenly into the bottom of the pan.

4.
In a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, canned pumpkin, sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer until all the ingredients are incorporated into a smooth mixture. It's OK if you still see some flecks of cream cheese and some darker flecks of spice.
5.
Pour the bar mixture on top of the crust in the 9x13-inch pan.
6.
Put the bars in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. If the top starts to get too dark, cover the cheesecake with a piece of aluminum foil.
7.
Once the cheesecake has baked, let it cool for a few minutes on the counter. Then, cover it with plastic wrap and put the warm cheesecake in the refrigerator for several hours to chill and set.
8.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Tips

• These bars are delicious served with a dollop of whipped cream, or drizzled with a little white or dark chocolate to add a finishing touch.