Fall has officially arrived and it’s time to celebrate with all things pumpkin! Starting with this Pumpkin Spiced Cottage Cheesecake recipe, sponsored by my friends at Hood that enlisted me to create a recipe showcasing not only the fall season but also highlighting their delicious cottage cheese!
We can finally say summer is over – and what a summer it was! At the restaurant here on Martha’s Vineyard, we were busier than ever. I was managing the dessert menus now of not one, but two restaurants. Plus bread for both, I can tell you that my hands are tired of whisking creams and rolling bread dough for dinner rolls.
When Hood approached me to create a fall-inspired recipe, I knew I had to recreate my ever so popular cheesecake recipe from work at the restaurant, into the blog using their cottage cheese and that’s how this Pumpkin Spiced Cottage Cheesecake was born! It’s a simple recipe that delivers a great result – and by using Hood Cottage Cheese, it’s also a recipe that is packed with protein and flavor!
Traditional cheesecake is usually made with cream cheese, but for this recipe, I wanted to try something different, and using Hood Cottage Cheese was just perfect! Because Hood Cottage Cheese is carefully blended to ensure a balanced flavor, it creates the ideal base for a delicious cheesecake.
The best part about this recipe? It’s all made in a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a food processor). But using either appliance results in a luscious cheesecake base because it blends up the cottage cheese into a smooth ingredient that works so well with the pumpkin and spices.
But because we love Hood Cottage Cheese so much, we also created a spiced cottage cheese whipped topping to go on top of the cheesecake. This topping is the sweetest, most delicious way to top this cheesecake! I also found some edible flowers and used them to decorate, so the end of summer and the start of fall vibes really collided in this recipe. I love that Hood Cottage Cheese is available in the dairy aisle of grocery stores across New England and the New York Metro area. Find the closest retailer to you with the Hood Store Locator at www.hood.com.
Pumpkin Spiced Cottage Cheesecake
Ingredients
for the crust:
- 2 packets of graham crackers
- ¼ cup melted butter
for the cheesecake batter:
- 32 ounces Hood Country Style Cottage Cheese
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup half and half
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
for the topping:
- ¾ cup Hood Country Style Cottage Cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and set up a water bath to cook the cheesecake in. While the oven preheats, make the cheesecake.
- For the crust: pulse the graham crackers with the melted butter until it resembles wet sand. Press into a greased, 8-inch springform pan and set aside while you make the batter.
- In a food processor or blender, add the cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, half and half, flour, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour batter into pressed crust and bake in a water bath for about an hour or so, until fully set.
- Refrigerate overnight for best results.
- Make the spiced topping by combining all the ingredients. Serve chilled atop the cheesecake and enjoy!
Disclaimer: This post was in partnership with Hood Cottage Cheese! Thank you for supporting brands that make it possible for me to bring you this delicious content.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE? I want to see it! Follow Cooking with Books on Instagram, take a photo, and tag me in it. I love to know what you are making and how you made this recipe your own!
What size can of pumpkin did you use?