Pumpkin Cheesecake

Like many families, our Thanksgiving holiday is filled with ritual and custom. We tend to prepare the same dishes, often served in a bowl or on a plate that is a sentimental favorite - Grandma's gravy boat, my Mom's crystal bowl for the cranberries.

Ingredients

  • 1 container/box gingersnaps (i like trader joe's triple gingersnaps)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
  • 3 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup organic cane sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 12 small chunks of crystallized ginger