Need a gluten-free dessert for entertaining this fall? This recipe for make-ahead Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars is sure to be a huge hit with your guests!

We’re back with another delicious gluten-free recipe to add to your fall party menus! These Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have three layers of decadence that are utterly irresistible.

You may remember from our Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Monkey Bread post last month that we are partnering with Pamela’s® Products to showcase just how easy and delicious gluten-free cooking and baking can be. It’s been a super fun for us to experiment with their wide assortment of products, and this month we focused our efforts on dessert. And not just any ol’ dessert, mind you. We went big with these luscious, three layer Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.

These bars showcase one of fall’s most popular flavors – pumpkin – making it a perfect addition to your fall recipe collection. The crust is made with a box of Pamela’s® Gluten-Free Chocolate Grahams. You can pulse them to crumbs in your food processor, or – if you’re lazy like me and don’t want to clean up the mess from the food processor – you can dump the grahams in a plastic bag and crush them into crumbs with a rolling pin.

Another great thing about this recipe? The bars can be made up to two days in advance, which earns a huge high five from time-strapped hosts and hostesses. Simply remove the bars from the pan and cut into squares when ready to serve.

Recommended Equipment

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Pamela’s® Products. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the companies that make Garnish with Lemon possible!

Yield: 9 servings

Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

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This recipe for make ahead Glutenfree Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars is going to be a hit with your guests!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 (7.5-ounce) package Pamela's® Chocolate Grahams Gluten-Free Graham Style Crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a water bath for your 8" x 8" baking pan (if using. See note below). Line baking pan with parchment or foil leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.

For the crust:

1. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Pour melted butter into mixture and stir to combine. Dump into baking pan and evenly press crumb mixture into pan to form crust. Place in refrigerator to set while preparing cheesecake.

For the cheesecake:

1. Place cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Beat on medium high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Stir in sour cream. Remove 1 3/4 cups batter from bowl and evenly spread over crust.
2. Add pumpkin puree and spices to the remaining batter and stir until thoroughly combined. Carefully spread pumpkin layer over cheesecake layer in baking pan.
3. Place baking pan in water bath in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon and allow to cool for another hour.
4. Remove bars from water bath and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
5. When ready to serve, lift bars from pan using overlapping parchment or foil. Cut cleanly using a hot knife (run under hot water and dried). Sprinkle bars with chopped chocolate, if desired.

Notes

The water bath is optional but I find it helps prevent cracking on top of the cheesecake bars. It's pretty easy to do. Pick a larger pan that will hold your baking pan inside it. Fill the larger pan with enough water so it comes halfway up the side of the baking pan when nestled inside it.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 183 Total Fat: 18g Carbohydrates: 4g Protein: 2g