Primal Pumpkin Cheesecake

If you’re a fan of Dandy Dishes on Facebook you already knew this post was coming!  So let’s talk cheesecake…my hands down favorite dessert of all time.  Believe it or not it is on my Bucket List to devour every single one on Cheesecake Factory’s menu.  And I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’m halfway there.

However these days I look at food a little differently, not by calories or fat content (obviously), but by the quality of ingredients and how they effect your body.  So when the boy and I were invited to a friend’s for dinner this past weekend and I was tasked with dessert, I knew immediately what I was going to make.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and as I mentioned in my Primal Pumpkin Bread post, I have tasked myself this holiday season with taking some of my favorite fall dishes and converting them to Primal.  I searched the web high and low for recipes and knew immediately that I could take one of my favorite desserts and make it organic, healthy, and 100% MDA approved!  The end result is a cheesecake not only packed with pumpkiny goodness but one that is light, fluffy and made even more amazing when topped with homemade whipped cream.

Do yourself, your friends, your family, heck even your neighbors a favor and make this tonight!  (Yeah I know it cracked but it was still delicious!)

Primal Pumpkin Cheesecake

Serves an army, or 10-12 healthy grown ups

For the crust

3 cups pecan meal

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

4 ½ tablespoons melted butter

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork until well combined.  Press the mixture evenly across the bottom and sides of a 9” spring form pan.  Bake in a preheated 300º oven for 15 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the cheesecake

3, 8oz packages of cream cheese (room temperature)

1, 15oz can of pure pumpkin

3 eggs and 1 egg yolk

¼ cup sour cream

1 cup pure maple syrup (I used Grade B, it’s cheaper)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1 ½ tablespoons coconut flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the pumpkin, eggs, sour cream, maple syrup, baking soda, spices and combine well.  Add the coconut flour and vanilla and beat one last time until all ingredients are mixed through.  Pour into cooled crust and spread evenly.  Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour, or until the sides have browned and the center is still a little wobbly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving, or even better over night.  Serve with homemade whipped cream.