Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Pumpkin is everywhere these days! Candles, food, in coffee, I've seen pumpkin ice cream, in cappuccino, on clothes, on porches..haha, so why not put it in your cheesecake? :) I recently became a huge fan of pumpkin and am finding ways to put it in more things. I love putting pumpkin spice in coffee, canned pumpkin in oatmeal, and trying this new pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Hands down, I WILL make this again! The good thing about this recipe is it doesn't take as long as some cheesecake recipes. Trevor and my parents loved it and it was gone waaay too fast, so that is a good sign:)

The original recipe called for chocolate chips sprinkled on top of the batter before baking. I left the chips out this time, but may add them next time to try it out. Also, the original recipe called for a crust made with gingersnaps, but I opted for a more traditional graham cracker crust. However, I guess it wasn't completely a "traditional" graham cracker crust (at least the ones I'm familiar with) because I found a 'heart healthy' recipe made with oil instead of butter, and with a little honey and cinnamon. Sooo here it is..!
Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 c finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (used food processor)
• 2 T honey
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake:

• 8 oz cream cheese, slightly softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
• 1/2 c plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 c canned pumpkin puree ( NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites

Directions:

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with fork until well combined.
Press mixture into a 9 in round pie pan, coated with nonstick spray.
Bake for 8 mins @350 degrees. Set aside to cool
For cheesecake:
Lower oven temp to 275 degrees
With electric mixer, beat cream cheese and yogurt until smooth
Beat in pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, egg.
In separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
With a spatula, fold the eggwhites into the pumpkin cheesecake batter.
Pour into prepared crust. (This is where you could sprinkle the top with chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or pecans if desired).
Bake 60 mins. Turn off oven. Let the cheesecake remain in closed oven for 1 hour (prevents cracks).
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Tranfer to refrigerator, chill @ least 3 hrs before serving.