{Chocolate + Cheesecake + Pumpkin}

A traditional pumpkin pie is wonderful, but isn't it nice to have something a little more imaginative every Thanksgiving?

Here's the recipe for delicious bite size pumpkin cheesecakes covered in chocolate as requested by Maria Johnson! What more could you want?

P.S. Maria, I am very impressed at your memory. I made these quite a few years ago for a Halloween party hosted by Alex's cousin. I ended up too sick with a stomach bug of some sort, so I dropped them off at the party and went home. Worst Halloween ever.

Chocolate-Covered Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares
Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Coating:

• 24 sqaures (1 oz each) semisweet chocolate
• 3 tbsp shortening

1. Line a 9-in. square baking pan with foil and grease the foil. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter. Press into prepared pan; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Add pumpkin a 1/4 tsp cinnamon; beat on low speed until just combined. Pour over crust.

3. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze overnight.

4. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and shortening: stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Using foil, life cheesecake out of pan. Gently peel off foil and cut into squares (suggested: 49). Remove a few pieces at a time for dipping; keep remaining squares refrdigerated until ready to dip.

5. Using a toothpick, completely dip squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper; spoon about 1 tsp chocolate over each. (Reheat chocolate if needed to finishi dipping). Let stand for 20 minutes or until set. Store in an artight container in the refridgerator or freezer.

Note: To make it a little easier to coat you can also use skewers and make chocolate covered frozen pumpkin cheesecake bars that way.

For plain cheesecake use these ingredients for the filling:

• 2 packages cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract