Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place paper liners in 12 muffin cups.

For the crust. Combine the ground nuts, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and mix until well blended. Press about 1 tablespoon of the crumbs onto the bottom of each lined muffin cup. Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake at 325 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until set. Do not let the crusts burn.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the cheesecake filling, place the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until well mixed. One at a time, add the eggs, beating on low speed after each addition.

Spoon the cheesecake filling over the crusts in each muffin cup. Fill about 2/3rds full.

Place the muffin tin back in the oven and bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes or until the centers of the cheesecakes are almost set.

Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until well chilled.

Top the mini pumpkin cheesecakes with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, and chopped candied ginger before serving.

To make bite-sized cheesecakes: use miniature muffin cups (will make 36). Use 1 teaspoon of the nut mixture for the crusts and bake for 5 minutes. Fill with the cheesecake filling (2/3rds full) and bake for 15 minutes.