I've been making pumpkin baked goods in my house for weeks now. I'm not hearing any complaints about it. Even if we, by some crazy chance, get sick of pumpkin goodies in the house, I can always find a taker. We definitely didn't have a problem with finding takers for this wonderful pumpkin cheesecake. I took a majority of it to work and left a sizable slice at home. It went pretty fast at work, as there are several pumpkin obsessed people in my office. Our huge slice at home went pretty fast too. Between Lady H, the in-laws, and the husband, I think I had just a couple of bites.

This is a perfect Thanksgiving dessert in my opinion. I like pumpkin goods, but I'm not crazy about plain ole' pumpkin pie. Combining pumpkin with the glorious-ness (is that a word?) of cheesecake makes for a tasty alternative to the boring staple that is the holiday dessert.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
from Paula Deen's Website

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined. Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Serves 8.