Description

A buttery, spiced graham cracker crust made with nutty browned butter, a creamy, tangy cheesecake layer, and a marbled ribbon of spiced pumpkin puree. Topped with cinnamon maple whipped cream, these bars are the ultimate fall dessert—rich, festive, and made for sharing.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Browned Butter Graham Cracker Crust:

6 cups graham cracker crumbs (or ginger snaps/Biscoff cookies)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned

For the Cheesecake Batter:

8 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature, full-fat
3 cups granulated sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
8 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1½ cups sour cream, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Spiced Pumpkin Layer:

2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp pumpkin spice

For the Cinnamon Maple Whipped Cream:

4 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Step 1: Prep & Preheat

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
Line a 9×13-inch pan (or two 9×9 pans) with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.

Step 2: Brown the Butter

Melt butter over medium heat until golden brown with nutty aroma. Cool slightly.

Step 3: Make the Crust

Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Add browned butter; mix until it holds together.
Press firmly into prepared pan. Bake 10 min; cool.

Step 4: Make the Cheesecake Batter

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and cornstarch; mix gently.
Add eggs one at a time on low speed.
Fold in heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla. Do not overmix.

Step 5: Layer & Swirl Pumpkin

Pour half the cheesecake batter over crust.
Mix pumpkin puree with spices; dollop over batter.
Pour remaining batter on top; gently swirl with a knife to marble.

Step 6: Bake Low & Slow

Bake 55–65 min. Edges set, center slightly jiggly. Optional: place a water-filled pan below to prevent cracks.
Cool completely, then refrigerate at least 4 hours (overnight preferred).

Step 7: Make the Whipped Cream

Beat cold heavy cream, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon until stiff peaks form.

Notes

Room temperature dairy = smooth batter.
Avoid overmixing after eggs = prevents cracks.
Cracked tops? Cover with whipped cream—it’s forgiven!
Freezes well: wrap individual bars; keep up to 2 months.