Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie + 2 Confessions

I have two confessions.

Confession #1:

I bought a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes, I actually purchased a store-made pie.

For Thanksgiving dinner, no less.

It's kind of against everything I was ever taught growing up.

See, my mom is a homemaker icon, not to mention pie contest winner,

my dad would give anything for an extra piece of her famous Strueberry Pie...

and I also have a few younger brothers who have probably made more piecrusts than I have.

I'm lucky they didn't disown me.

But let me explain myself here...

Honestly, I'm not really a pumpkin pie lover.  I just eat it out of tradition.

 Plus, this year I was also making

rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce,

while simultaneously doing the zombie shuffle in my kitchen due to a baby with recurring ear infections (& subsequent night wakings),

So I threw in the towel and 

Bought. A. Pumpkin. Pie.

Don't get me wrong, I loved making all those Thanksgiving dishes...I just didn't have the stamina for a pie too.

I did, however, make this pumpkin chocolate cheesecake pie a week before Thanksgiving for a potluck.

If you're a non-pumpkin-pie-lover like I am, 

OR if you just want something a little more fancy-shmancy than an old pumpkin pie,
you should make this.

Homemade pie crust,

cream cheese layer on bottom,

chocolate in the middle,

and a pumpkin layer on top....

"mmm" is all I have to say.

Confession #2?

Maybe I do like pumpkin pie, after all.  

That is, as long as you throw in some cream cheese and chocolate.  :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

From bhg.com

8 servings

1 deep dish pie crust (I used this one)

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half

chopped chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Prepare and roll out deep dish pie crust and lay in a 9 1/2 to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.  Trim the edge of the dough and flute it high.  Line the crust with double thickness of foil and bake 8 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until golden, about 6 more min.  Let cool and reduce oven temp to 375.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 egg until smooth.  Spread onto cooled pie crust shell and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

In a clean bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice.  Add 4 eggs and gradually stir in half-and-half.  Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over chopped chocolate layer.  Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent from becoming too brown.  Bake 60-65 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove foil and let cool.  Cover and chill within two hours (let chill overnight for best flavor).  Garnish with additional chopped chocolate before serving.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

My husband likes to call it dangerously decadent chocolate cheesecake! I make this once or twice a year for special occasions and have yet to take a decent picture of it...but trust me, it's divine. If you're into luxuriously rich, chocolatey desserts, this cheesecake is for you. I like to serve it with strawberries on the side.

And a huge glass of milk.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake
At least 8 servings

Crust:

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs*

2 Tbsp white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

In small bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of lightly-greased, 9-inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. (Sometimes, in a hurry, I'll stick it in the freezer to help it cool faster.)

Filling:

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (room temp)

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

In small saucepan, heat chocolate chips and whipping cream, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended. Pour over cooled crust and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. (Cheesecake tip: When the cheesecake is almost done, I like to turn off the oven, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake sit for 30 min or so. This tends to help prevent cracking...although this recipe has a topping that covers up any cracks!)

Topping:**

1/4 cup heavy chipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In small saucepan, heat whipping cream and vanilla, stirring constantly, until just before boiling. Have chocolate chips ready; pour in the hot cream and stir until smooth. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight (the flavor is better the day after). Serve with fresh strawberries.

*I usually use about 20 oreos (with the filling scraped off) and run them through the food processor to get them really fine.

**Sometimes I half the topping recipe to make the topping thinner; either way is yummy (in the photos above, I did not half the topping--it shows how thick the layer is).