Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

It’s time for my monthly Walkers Shortbread Blogger Ambassador program post, and I think they tailored this one just for me! This month’s theme is “Fruit Desserts for Fall,” where we were asked to use in-season fall autumn fruits including apples, pears, cranberries, figs, pomegranates, or pumpkins. Clearly, there was no question which one I was choosing.

Walkers Shortbread also has an exclusive promotion for I Can Cook That readers. Now through Monday, September 23, you can receive 25% off your total purchase, excluding sales items when you use the promo code ICCTFRUIT. So you can experiment with your very own fall treats! (Another favorite of mine that uses Walkers Shortbread is this Gingerbread Chocolate Pumpkin Trifle)

Because it is September and it hasn’t completely cooled off just yet, I thought I’d go for a chilled dessert. I have wanted to make Pumpkin Cheesecake for a while now and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. But to make it a little more special, I decided to swirl in some Nutella.

The crust is a mixture of Walkers Shortbread Highlanders and Stem Ginger Shortbread Cookies to give it a bit more flavor. I adapted this recipe from a recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars on Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

• 1 7 oz box Walkers Shortbread Highlanders (9 cookies)
• 5 Walkers Stem Ginger Shortbread Cookies (~1/2 box)
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 8 oz packages reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 8 oz package regular cream cheese
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup Nutella, warmed

Begin by making the crust. Add the highlanders and ginger shortbreads to a food processor. Pulse until crumbs form. (If you do not have a food processor, you can add the shortbread to a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to make the crumbs)

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.

Add the crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.

Stir in the butter.

Add the crumb mixture to a 13-in x 9-in baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper. (If you don’t have parchment paper, spray with cooking spray before adding the crumb mixture). Press the mixture down firmly and evenly (I used a measuring cup to do so).

Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

 

Add the cream cheeses and remaining 3/4 cup sugar to a large bowl.

Beat until smooth.

Add the pumpkin, flour, spices, and vanilla.

Beat on low until combined.

Add the eggs.

Beat on low until just combined.

Pour over crust and smooth.

Warm the 1/4 cup Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds. This will help make it a little easier to work with.

 

Add random teaspoon sized drops of Nutella to the top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to swirl.

Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes (I baked mine for 40), or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Use a knife to loosen the edges of the cheesecake. Lift the parchment paper up and remove the cheesecake.

Cut the cheesecake into bars (I got 15 bars out of it, but depending on the size you cut them you could probably get up to 20).

These turned out even better than my taste buds imagined! Pumpkin and cheesecake work so nicely together.

The creamy pumpkin cheesecake pairs really well with the hazelnut flavor of the Nutella but isn’t overwhelming.

The gingerbread shortbread crust adds a nice crunch and the ginger flavor enhances the pumpkin flavor of the cheesecake.

You can add walnut halves on top of each cheesecake bars if you’d like a little garnish, but this is completely optional.