Gingerbread Cheesecake Bars Food

GINGER CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Place gingersnaps in a food processor; pulse to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl, and stir in butter until well combined. Press gingersnap mixture evenly into bottom of prepared baking sheet. Bake crust until firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until softened. Mix in sugar, egg, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined. Mix in crystallized ginger.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture onto crust, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until filling has puffed and feels slightly firm to the touch (do not let brown), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until set,about 1 hour. To serve, cut into bars.

GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the springform pan 3 to 4 times with aluminum foil.
• Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together until mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the prepared springform pan until bottom is evenly covered.
• Combine cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add molasses, lemon juice, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt; mix until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating briefly after each addition until just combined. Pour batter over the crust in the pan. Tap the pan on the counter several times to remove any air bubbles.
• Place the springform pan into a larger baking pan, and fill the baking pan with 1 inch hot water, making sure no water gets into the cheesecake batter.
• Bake in the water bath in the preheated oven until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the middle jiggles slightly, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven without removing the cheesecake, leaving it inside until cooled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven and water bath. Run the tip of a table knife around the edges of the springform pan before removing to a serving platter. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.
• Combine whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt for the cinnamon whipped cream in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; do not overmix.
• Top cheesecake with whipped cream just before serving.