Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake by Betty Crocker

This Cheesecake is PURE HEAVEN and sooooooooo easy to make! Once you make it for Thanksgiving it will become a requested Cheesecake every year, so be prepared to make it every year!! But hey you will want to because you will want to eat it as well!!!

CRUST

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 32)

¼ CUP butter or margarine, melted

FILLING

4 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9 inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around pan to catch drips. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy, do not overbeat. On low speed, gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Spoon 3 cups of the cream cheese mixture into pan, spread evenly.

3. Stir pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining cream cheese mixture, mix with wire whisk until smooth. Spoon over mixture in pan.

4. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until edges are set but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved.

5. Turn oven off, open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, place on cooling rack. Without releasing side of pan, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover loosely, refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer then 24 hours.

6. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again, carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator. 16 servings.