I make this cheesecake once, maybe twice during the holiday season and it always gets a lot of ooooohs and ahhhhhs. “You made THAT?!?” people exclaim.  “This is so good you could honestly sell it, Denise,”

I just smile and say, “Thanks.”  It always comes out beautifully every time. Sure you can go to Cheesecake Factory and buy a Pumpkin Cheesecake, but it’ll set you back $39.95 to get one.  So much better to make your own.

This is the kind of special dessert that makes people happy that they get to enjoy the special foods of the holiday season.  It’s adapted from a recipe from Epicurious.

If you have “challenges” with cracks (sometimes craters) in your cheesecake I’ll share with you a little secret. Don’t open the oven door while it’s cooking and let it cool down gradually.  Usually when my cheesecake is done I turn off the heat in the oven and prop open the door a couple inches but I don’t take it out for another 15-20 minutes or so.  It’s the cooling process that causes cracks to form.

Another secret: cake strips.  I discovered ‘em when I read a book about how to bake your own wedding cake.  These little miracle workers help any cake, even a cheesecake to bake at a more even temperature so you don’t end up with uncooked batter in the middle and dry, overcooked edges. They also result in a cake that rises evenly without a lumpy surface across the top or bowing in the middle.  I got my cake strips in the cake decorating section of the Joann’s store in my area.

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• three 8-ounce packages low-fat cream cheese at room temperature.  Sometimes labelled as Neufachtel
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon if desired

For the topping

• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon, or to taste
• pecan halves or pieces to garnish

Preparation

Make the crust:
In a bowl combine the cracker crumbs, the finely ground nuts, and the sugars, stir in the butter, and press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Chill the crust for 1 hour.

Make the filling:
In a bowl whisk together the pumpkin, the egg, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the ginger, the cloves, the salt, and the brown sugar. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the low-fat cream cheese and the granulated sugar, beat in the cream, the cornstarch, the flour, the vanilla, the bourbon liqueur, and the pumpkin mixture, and beat the filling until it is smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 60 minutes, or until the center is just set, and let it cool in .

Make the topping:
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream, the sugar, and the bourbon liqueur.

Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for 5 minutes more. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight. Remove the side of the pan and garnish the top of the cheesecake with the pecans.