Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Some people like cheesecake.  Sometimes I think it's pretty good, but I'm never like, "OOOOOOOHHHHH - CHEESECAKE."
I did have a pumpkin cheesecake once that was to die for, which then led my wonderful mother to believe that I would like ALL pumpkin cheesecake and that's what she got for my birthday, only for us to realize that what I really want on my birthday is yellow cake with chocolate frosting, made with a boxed mix and using a can of frosting.  Seriously.
However, pumpkin cheesecake is a delight, and these little bites look just fab.  This is my first ever Seejeneat Special Request Recipe - so Quinn, when they're done I will certainly be delivering.
And can we giggle for a second that in the address it says "whop cream?"  Okay, thanks. 

 Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Yields 12 2×3 mini cheesecakes

Crust
1-1/4  cups  ginger snaps
1/4  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  butter, melted
Cheesecake
1  8-ounce package  cream cheese, softened
1  cups  sugar
2   eggs
3/4 cup  canned pumpkin
1/2  teaspoon  pumpkin pie spice
1/4  nutmeg
1/2   teaspoon of candied ginger
1  teaspoon  vanilla
1/4  teaspoon  salt
4 ounces  semisweet chocolate, cut up,
1  tablespoons  butter
Bourbon Whip Cream
3/4  cup whipping cream
2 tablespoon of bourbon 

1/4    cup caramel sauce
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease pan. Combine In a, combine ginger snap crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl. Stir in the 1/3 cup melted butter. Press mixture evenly into bottom of the prepared baking pan; set aside.

Add cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, candied ginger, vanilla, and salt to the bowl and beat until combined. Remove 1 cup of the mixture.

In a heat proof bowl combine the 6 ounces chocolate and the 1 tablespoons butter and place in an inch of simmering water. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Whisk chocolate mixture into the 1 cup pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust, spreading evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Gently pour remaining pumpkin mixture over baked chocolate layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes more or until filling is puffed. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before releasing.

Whip cream until medium peaks form. Fold in bourbon and finish by drizzling caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with nutmeg seasoning.

A few notes: 

• If you decide not to make mini cheesecakes, use an 8inch springform pan and increase the bake time by 15-20 minutes. Start checking for doneness at 12-15 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the center of the cake gives a slight jiggle when the pan is tapped.
• You can skip the chocolate layer if you wish.
•  This pumpkin cheesecake can be made three days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator

Blueberry Tarts

I don't love cheesecake.
I know, right?
I mean, sure, sometimes I get a bite of one that's pretty dang tasty, but that's about it.

Today Paula Deen said she was making "blueberry tarts" and I squeaked. Until she did it.  These were Sandra Lee at her finest for sure.  Cream cheese, sugar, eggs, Nilla wafers and canned pie filling?  Squick.  Those are nothing more than poor man's cheesecake in cupcake liners, you can't fool me.

Until I started reading the customer reviews (5 stars with 202 reviews?!). . . hmph.  Seems like maybe these are worth a shot. . .

Cream Cheese Tarts
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 vanilla wafers
1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling, or other pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Place a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely. Serve with blueberry filling on top, or pie filling of your choice.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Mousse

In my never ending quest for more Phase I South Beach recipes, I stumbled across Cara's Cravings and immediately shared one. I tweaked her recipe a bit, here is mine.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Mousse with Dark Chocolate
2 servings

8 oz low-fat cottage cheese
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 1/2 packets of Splenda "cafe sticks"
2 squares dark chocolate, chopped

Use a blender (a regular one, or an immersion hand blender) to process the cottage cheese, peanut butter, and sweetener until completely smooth. It may take a good couple minutes, but you can get out all the lumps.
Transfer to a serving dish and chill for about 10 minutes in the freezer. Top with the pieces of chopped chocolate.

I got lazy and did some chocolate shavings on top and then just plunked the rest of the square down on the side. It doesn't take the place of my favorite SB dessert, but it was pretty tasty and I would make it again. Maybe even subbing out the peanut butter for sugar free jam if I'm craving a fruity flavor.
Apples dipped in this are amazing.