Excelsior! Crosley is drooling just thinking about this Thanksgiving treat! It combines one of his favorite things (cheesecake) with a seasonal staple (pumpkin). Try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Pops at your feast! They are fun and so cute they can double as a centerpiece! You can make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge or freezer. Just beware that Crosley is not to be trusted when any cheesecake is in the fridge!

We scoured the internet for the best seasonal cheesecake recipes and chose this delight from Just a Taste. Visit their site for more Crosley-approved yummies.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE POPS

Total prep time: 45 minutes of work with 5+ hours for setting and cooling

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable oil for greasing the pan
  • 1, 8-ounce pack of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 reason pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups orange candy melts
  • 1 cup green candy melts
  • 1 cup Graham cracker crumbs*

Equipment:

  • 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate
  • Small scoop
  • 2 cookie sheets
  • Wax paper or parchment
  • Cling wrap
  • Lollipop sticks

*You can make your own Graham cracker crumbs by placing graham crackers in the food processor or a Zip-lock bag and letting Crosley walk on it. If Crosley’s unavailable, you can crush the crackers with a rolling pin.

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  2. Grease the pie plate with vegetable oil
  3. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  4. Add the egg. Mix.
  5. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix.
  6. Pour the mixture into the greased pie plate and bake 25 to 30 minutes. The edges should be set, and the middle still wobbly.
  7. Place the cooked cheesecake on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
  8. Cover the cooled cheesecake with wax paper or parchment, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least three hours. Read a Night Buddies Adventure while you wait.
  9. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper.
  10. Using a small scoop, place scoops of pumpkin cheesecake on the baking sheets, flat side down, rounded side up.
  11. Freeze the cheesecake balls for at least one hour.
  12. Melt the orange candy melts according to directions on the package.
  13. Take one pan of cheesecake balls out of the freezer.
  14. Push one lollipop stick in the center of each cheesecake ball.
  15. Dip each ball into the orange melt. Scrape off excess melt with a spatula. Return coated cheesecake ball to the cookie sheet.
  16. Return the pan of coated cheesecake balls to the freezer
  17. Repeat the process with the second pan of cheesecake balls.
  18. Melt the green candy melt. Transfer the melted green goody to a piping bag.
  19. Take one pan of cheesecake balls out of the freezer. Pipe a green steam and vines on each pumpkin cheesecake ball.
  20. Repeat the process with the second pan.
  21. Keep the pops refrigerated or frozen until your serving. Serve atop a bed of Graham cracker crumbs.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving from John, Crosley, and the entire Night Buddies Crew!

PS: Crosley wants you to know that Graham crackers are named after real-life Sylvester Graham, who inspired the recipe. How cool would it be to have a cracker named after you?