Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake

I love homemade cheesecake, and what says autumn more than pumpkin? Chocolate too? I couldn’t wait to try this recipe!

FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION CLICK HERE: Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tbs oil
3 cups low fat cottage cheese
12 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 egg slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup pumpkin (cooked, pureed)
1/4 tsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, oil, and brown sugar with a little water and press to form a crust on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Can slightly grease the springform pan if desired.

2. Puree’ cottage cheese in a food processor (I know, seems weird, but it works!). Add the rest of the ingredients and process until all smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or kitchen aid mixer.

3. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Remove 1 1/4 C of the batter and set aside in another bowl.

4. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices to the batter.

5. To the reserved batter, add the cocoa and chocolate chips.

6. Pour the pumpkin batter in the springform pan. Drop the chocolate batter by large spoonfulls on top, and make a design, swirling with a knife.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 325F for one hour or until the edge is set. Turn off oven and let set for 30 more minutes. Remove and cool at room temperature for 3 hours. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Servings: 16

The verdict: I was a bit nervous about using cottage cheese in a cheesecake, but the food processor chopped it up so well that you couldn’t even tell it was in there. The cottage cheese supposedly made it lower in fat. Even so, it was very rich – especially the chocolate part.  A nice treat.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/16 of a recipe (4.6 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 286.68
Calories From Fat (41%) 117.96
% Daily Value
Total Fat 13.7g 21%
Saturated Fat 7.62g 38%
Cholesterol 53.22mg 18%
Sodium 369.23mg 15%
Potassium 159.06mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 34.21g 11%
Fiber 2.11g 8%
Sugar 19.24g
Protein 9.63g 19%

This post linked to Things I Love Thursday