Triple Chocolate Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake & Crust

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
• 2 cups ground Gluten Free Chocolate Wafers Recipe* or Crunchy Chocolate Pie Crust Recipe
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Filling:
• 3 8-oz. packages gluten free cream cheese (Philadelphia), at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 15-0z. canned 100% pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet, bittersweet, or dark gluten free chocolate (or Hershey's morsels**)
• 8 oz. real gluten free white chocolate (or Hershey's Premier White Chips**)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
• 1/2 recipe [Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

To Make the Cookie Crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Add cookies to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form.
3. Add vanilla to melted butter and whisk to combine.
4. Transfer the cookie crumbs to a large bowl, add melted butter mixture, and toss to distribute the butter evenly.
5. Transfer the cookie mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the pan and crust to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Filling:
7. While the crust is cooling, make the filling. In a medium sized saucepan fill with water and bring to a boil.
8. In the large bowl of your mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
9. Add pumpkin puree and mix until incorporated.
10. Stop at this point, and add dark/bitter chocolate chips to a heat-proof bowl. Then add the white chocolate to a separate heat-proof bowl. Add an inch or two of water to two saucepans and place bowls over each pan without touching the water. Bring them both to a boil and lower heat while stirring the chocolate occasionally until they melt. Set saucepans aside and proceed with mixing the filling.
11. Add eggs, one at a time to the filling, beating after each addition.
12. Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla, and mix on medium speed just until combined.
13. Add flour and beat just until incorporated.
14. Add 1/4 of the filling to the dark chocolate mixture, whisk in, and set aside.
15. Pour melted white chocolate into the batter and mix to combine.
To Assemble, Fill, and Bake:
16. Place the spring-form pan on a roasting pan, pour the chocolate mixture into on top of the crust and spread to distribute evenly.
17. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the chocolate filling and distribute evenly.
18. Place the pan in a roasting pan and fill with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the spring-form pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow it to continue to bake for about 40 minutes or until the cheesecake giggles, just slightly, when you shake the pan.
19. Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack to cool completely.
20. Once cooled, run a butter knife or frosting spatula along the sides of the pan to loosen it, remove ring and refrigerate, loosely covered with wax paper for 4 hours or overnight.
21. Make the sweetened whipped cream right before serving and add cinnamon to the cream when you add the confectioners' sugar.
22. Slice with a sharp knife and add a dollop to each piece. Optionally, melt more chocolate into molds, refrigerate until set and use to top the dollop of whipped cream.

Tips

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