Nutella and Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Bites

Throughout November and all of autumn I always think of seasonal pumpkin recipes.  Although I've never been fond of pumpkin pie, I do enjoy small pumpkin treats such as pumpkin brownies.  So when I found this recipe for Nutella and Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Bites on my Secret Recipe Club blog, The Spiffy Cookie, I knew that this would be a recipe that I had to try.  Erin's blog is full of wonderful sweet recipes that make your mouth water just from her photos alone.

Most of us have a food love affair going on with Nutella right?  This gooey, chocolate-y, Italian ingredient was the clincher that made this recipe from Erin's blog call out to me to bake.

Did you know that "the original version of Nutella was called "pasta gianduja"?  Pasta means paste and "gianduja", is the name of a carnival character famous to the region.  This was actually made in loaves and wrapped in tinfoil so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children.  But many children would throw away the bread and only eat the pasta gianduja!"
         
"So Mr. Ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar so it could be spread on the bread. This then became known as "supercrema gianduja," because it was a spreadable version of the gianduja. It was eventually renamed "Nutella" in 1964, with the origin of the word being "nut" and the "ella" giving it a soft ending.  Nutella was first imported from Italy to the U.S. over 25 years ago in 1983 and was initially distributed in the Northeastern part of the country.  The popularity of Nutella has grown steadily over the years and it is now available across the United States and sold all over the world."  all quoted excerpts from the "History of Nutella".

Now since I'm a cook that prefers at all times to use up anything that I have in my pantry, I used milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache.  This made the mini cheesecakes a bit sweeter, which is what my family prefers anyway.  We just loved these little mini-desserts and will definitely make them again and again!  Thanks Erin!

These are simply incredible . . . and so neat to be in such small sizes!  Great for a party tray!

Nutella and Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Bites 

8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. Nutella
1/4 cup milk chocolate, melted in 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined.
Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat.
Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.
In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
Beat in egg, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined.
Remove approximately a fourth of the cream cheese mixture into a separate bowl. Add the pumpkin to larger, and Nutella to the small half and mix until incorporated.
Pour the pumpkin mixture evenly into the 12 cups filling about 2/3 way full.
Spoon about half a tablespoon of the Nutella mixture into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently.
Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through.
Let cool completely.
Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of chocolate ganache and hazelnuts.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Click below to view the blog hop with all of the entries for November!

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