Pumpkin Cheesecake

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When aluminum cookie sheets and who knows what temperature industrial gas ovens give you overcooked stuck all over the pan cookies, you make cheesecake crust. This recipe was made up on the spot starting with crumbled Tollhouse oatmeal butterscotch walnut cookies and regular pumpkin pie mix. I’ve made it twice since and it’s one of our new family favorites.

Crust Ingredients
11/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Quaker Oats
1 11oz. pkg. butterscotch flavored morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup butter for crust

Crust Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
3. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
5. Add oats morsels and walnuts. Batter will be VERY thick.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoons or use cookie scoop and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Cook 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 2 minutes. Place cookies on wire racks.
8. Cool until crispy.
9. Place 6 cookies at a time in a large ziplock bag and zip air out.
10. Using a rolling pin, roll cookies until all crumbly.
11. Repeat until two cup of crumbs have been made.
12. Mix crumbs in bowl with butter one tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together when pressed.
13. Press into pie pan. Set aside.

Filling Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3 large eggs
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
4 oz. cottage cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. ricotta cheese

Filling Directions
1. Beat eggs in large bowl.
2. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pumpkin.
3. Cream cheeses together. Add evaporated milk and stir until creamy.
4. Add milk/cheese mixture to pumpkin mixture and blend well.
5. Pour into butterscotch piecrust and bake for 40-50 minutes or until center is still slightly jiggly but not runny.
6. Remove from oven. Allow to cool several hours or overnight.