It’s cooking club week and for the first time since our inaugural cooking club meeting over a year ago I have offered to make dessert.
It’s not that I don’t love baking, it’s just never been my strong suit. Plus, how can I compete with Anna’s decadent espresso brownies from Comfort Foods night or Emily’s perfectly flaky peanut baklava to go with our Mediterranean themed evening?
The theme for this month’s event is Anything Squash and I immediately called dibs on pumpkin pie. And not just any pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie made extra wonderful with cream cheese in a gingersnap crust topped with chocolate ganache.
The pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust would be enough, but I need to step up my dessert game if I ever want to make it again for cooking club.
And I couldn’t be more excited about this month’s cooking club. My best friend, Ashton, is back home for the holidays all the way from China! She gets to be our guest of honor at cooking club this week and I cannot get over how happy this makes.
I just love this time with my girls so much and breaking bread with them is just the best. Everyone’s dishes turned out amazing, too. We started with Sam’s sweet and salty pumpkin goat cheese bacon apple crostini, warm butternut squash salad with shaved brussels sprouts from Katie, Emily’s silky butternut squash soup, and Cranberry Walnut Bread Squash sandwiches Anna made.
And this tart? So, so decadent. I whipped the filling up in the blender to ensure an extra smooth texture and the slightly bitter dark chocolate on top just adds so much depth.
This would be an awesome dessert to make for Thanksgiving since it can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart with Gingersnap Crust and Dark Chocolate Ganache
For the Crust
- 45 Gingersnap Cookies
- 6 Tbsp Butter, Melted
For the Filling
- 1 15 Oz Can Pumpkin
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 8 Oz Cream Cheese
- 3 Eggs
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Nutmeg
- 1 Tsp Cloves
For the Ganache
- 6 Oz Dark Chocolate
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350.
Break up the gingersnaps by pulsing in a food processor or placing in a bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Combine with melted butter and press into the bottom and along the sides of your tart pan.
Combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix until smooth. The filling can also be blended in a blender to ensure an extra smooth texture. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
For the ganache, pour the chocolate chips in a bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer and pour through a strainer over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted and add the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the tart and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
