Cinnamon Mini-Cheesecakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting (Pinterest Experiment)

I decided that I was going to stop pinning stuff and forgetting about it. It was time for me to actually try some of them out.  Granted, I have tried some of the recipes for potlucks and such but some of the ones I tried swore they were the best ever and actually turned out rather disappointing. I am dedicating the next month of blog posts strictly to POPULAR pinterest recipes and projects and I am going to give my honest to goodness opinion on them.

This first one I tried has been pinned a lot. Everyone loves fall right? They are cute little Cinnamon cheescakes with a pumpkin pie frosting.  They actually turned out very delicous but I did have to try two different batches to get them just right and I will say they are a little bit of work.  I have a 3 month old and a preschooler that were a little bit of an interference but I do like the end result.  Look for my review at the end of the article. Straight from my unbiased husbands mouth.

Cinnamon Mini-Cheesecakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting Recipe
Ingredients:
Gingersnap Crust: (Cook 2nd)

• 1 cup gingersnap cookie (or graham cracker) crumbs
• 1/4 cup (half stick) unsalted butter; melted
• pinch of salt

Cheesecake: (Cook Last)

• 2 bars of cream cheese (8 oz each), room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Pumpkin Pie “Frosting” (**recommend cooking this first**):

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Method:
To Make Gingersnap Crust:
Prepare 12 baking cups with paper liners, or grease with cooking spray.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the three crust ingredients until well blended.  Scoop 1 packed tablespoon of crust into each baking cup, and press down to pack firm.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove and set aside.

To Make Cinnamon Cheesecakes:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Begin to boil a large kettle or pot of water for the water bath.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar, then mix on medium-speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix until smooth.  Do not overmix.  Pour batter into each crust-prepared baking cup until 3/4 full.

Once your kettle or pot of water is boiling, carefully place a large baking dish on the lower rack of your oven and pull the rack out a few inches towards you, and then pour the water into it.  (Or use your best judgment on how to do this without burning yourself.  I just heat the water in a kettle, which is very easy to pour into the pan.)  This will create a water bath that will give off lots of steam while the cheesecake bakes.
Then place the cheesecake pan in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges appear to be set and the center still has a slight jiggle to it.  Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly for 5 minutes.  Then remove the pan and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.  Top with pumpkin pie frosting.

To Make Pumpkin Pie Frosting:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well blended.  Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.  Remove and let cool, then refrigerate.
When ready to “frost” the cheesecakes, remove the pumpkin pie and spoon the filling into a piping bag.  Use as you would regular frosting.

Tip:
To make most quickly, first cook the pumpkin pie, then the gingersnap crust, then the cheesecakes.

Source:
Basic cheesecake recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction.

REVIEW:
Rating: Taste: 4/5  Texture: 4.5/5 Overall: 4/5
Straight out of the oven I felt it wasn't as flavor full but after they were in the refrigerator for a couple hours I thought it was a really good combination.  I will admit when I tasted the ingredients separately (the cheesecake mix, the frosting)  I did think the flavors together were going to be a bit more potent. When you take the first bite you first get a really great pumpkin pie flavor and then you get the cheesecake taste with a very subtle cinnamon that isn't too overwhelming and then the graham cracker crust to top it all off and it adds a great texture.  Although it was VERY delicious I wouldn't substitute Grandmas Thanksgiving pumpkin pie for these.