Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

Just in time for your Thanksgiving prep, I've got one heck of a festive recipe for your table.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Marble Cheesecake Bars.

They're easy, creamy, moreish, full of fall spices and PUMPKIN and did I say creamy? They're creamy.

Cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and a pinch of cardamom might as well be Fall's middle name. Such a wonderful blend of aromas balanced perfectly with cream cheese and sweet pumpkin. 

The texture is velvety and smooth, just perfectly set. And the marbled bits where the chocolaty pumpkin batter is swirled through sets up just a tiny bit more for an almost fudgy texture. The warm spices in the chocolate filling will make you think of hot cocoa and ginger cookies. It will warm up your guts and be the hit of Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Move over pumpkin pie - make room for the new guy.
xoChristina.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Marble Cheesecake Squaresmakes 12 squares
For the base:1 ¼ cups (125g) chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (like Oreos without the filling)4 tablespoon (56g) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:3 ounces (85g) semisweet chocolate, chopped200g cream cheese, softened½ cup (100g) sugar¼ cup (60ml) plain low fat yogurt¾ cup (6 oz) pure pumpkin puree1 large egg1 tablespoon (9g) all-purpose flour¾ teaspoon cinnamon¼ teaspoon ginger⅛ teaspoon cloves⅛ teaspoon nutmeg⅛ teaspoon cardamompinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Pulse chocolate wafers in a food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until moist. Press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes, until firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Slowly melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water or in the microwave with frequent stirring occasionally until glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Wipe food processor clean, add cream cheese and sugar and blend until smooth and glossy. Blend in yogurt, pumpkin puree and then the egg until smooth. Add flour, spices and salt and blend until evenly combined. Add ½ cup of pumpkin mixture to the melted chocolate and stirring until evenly blended. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture over cooled crust and spread evenly. Dollop chocolate mixture over pumpkin layer and swirl together with a toothpick or wooden skewer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerator at least 2 hours before slicing.