Avoid the difficulty of pie crust, have fun with garnishes, and enjoy these mini crustless pumpkin cheesecakes this fall season.

The Food: Mini Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecakes (Gluten-Free)

Crustless pumpkin cheesecakes are a cute, individualized way to serve dessert this holiday season. They deliver the same flavor and a similar texture as pumpkin pie without the pie crust battles. There’s a small amount of oat flour in the batter, so these cheesecakes are gluten-free. Top with a maple-sweetened whipped cream or pipe your favorite cream cheese frosting, and have fun with the garnishes.

The Personal: A Conversation with Cheesecake & Coffee

I love baking and sharing desserts with friends, so if we were to enjoy these mini crustless pumpkin cheesecakes together, with some coffee, here are some of the topics we might discuss.

What I’ve Been Reading Lately:

The High 5 Habit and The Five-Second Rule, both by Mel Robbins, have called me out, opened me up, and pushed me to make changes in the best possible way. Can a high 5 in the mirror really change your life? YES! It sounds so cheesy, but the book explains the science behind why a simple gesture can reshape negative self-talk and fuel confidence and action.

White Oleander

Both dark and poetic, it’s taking me a little longer to work my way through this novel by Janet Finch because of the subject and because of how beautiful the writing is. It demands several pauses.

What I’ve Been Listening To Lately:

Small Things Often: This podcast, from the Gottman Institute, dishes up research-based tips for improving relationships. The episodes are all five minutes or less, so the lessons are digestible. I like to listen to one while I’m making my morning coffee, and then I try to implement that tip during the day. It usually helps us both my partner and me to start our days on a positive note.

What Fills Me With Gratitude Lately:

My home.

I dream of owning a home and having more space, since my little family has grown, but a moment of gratitude helped me to be more present with the home I have now. I found myself filled with awe recently that my apartment has been the backdrop to so many ups and downs, and this space has always cocooned me.

This season.  

I’ve found the changing of leaves to be a little slower this year, a little more vibrant. Walking the same loop around a local park has given me a frame of reference to witness the subtlety of it all.

More Gratitude For…

Quiet, cozy moments.

Drinking tea, nestling in front of the fireplace, reading, and snuggling dogs. This moment was a reminder to me to get off my phone and use my time more intentionally.

Maple’s puppy spirit & Julep’s steadfastness.

I can’t even count how many times our puppy makes me laugh and smile throughout the day. There have been moments when my ego wants to stay locked in resentment, fear, or anger. Then along comes Maple Le doing something so silly and exuberantly, that I can’t help but lighten. Highs and lows, there’s Julep, by my side. She knows my routines and quietly accompanies me throughout the day.

What I Am Looking Forward To:

Celebrating Friendsgiving this weekend! There’ll be a sparkling whiskey drink, turkey, stuffing, homemade green bean casserole, pie, and lovely accents from the garden.

What I’m Reminding Myself:

I’m reminding myself to choose joy in the creative process of baking holiday desserts instead of stress and/or perfection. I also love this reminder/affirmation for all the enneagram type ones out there, “I can pick one area to excel at right now and let some other things rest.”

Your Turn?

That’s a lot of talking from me on our little cheesecake & coffee date. Of course, I prefer a conversation, so tell me your updates in the comments. What are you listening to? What are you looking forward to? Do you know your enneagram type?

The Mint ‘n Maple Corner:

I’ve been on a creative challenge to find and photograph hearts throughout my day. It’s a way of reshaping the brain to seek positivity, and not surprisingly, Julep has often led me to my daily heart. I nudged this one a bit, but I like it nonetheless. Here’s to fall walks with our furry loves!

You Might Also Like: Roasted Carrot Cheesecake with a Ginger-Oat Crust

Want the bright orange hue but not the pumpkin? Try this recipe from my book, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook.

Print

Mini Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes

Author: Quelcy Kogel

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Filling:

• 1 cup (215 g) packed organic light-brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp (75 g) organic evaporated cane sugar
• ¼ cup (30 g) gluten-free oat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3 packages (8-oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (362 g) canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream

Optional Toppings

• Cream cheese frosting
• maple-sweetened whipped cream
• Gingerbread cookies and/or crumbs
• Chopped pecans
• Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• caramel sauce

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease two jumbo muffin pans (12 muffin cups total), or a 9-inch springform pan, and set it aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until no clumps of sugar remain (break up any little clumps with your fingertips).
• Add the cream cheese and the sugar-spice mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
• Blend in the pumpkin and vanilla, then mix in the heavy cream, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Divide the mixture between the muffin pans, adding about 1/4 cup to each cup and filling nearly full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until nearly set (no longer very jiggly), about 20 - 25 minutes (about 60 minutes for a 9-inch cheesecake).
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature, 30 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator and chill 3 hours until set.
• Top with the garnishes of choice, and enjoy!