PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BARS

I made these bars yesterday afternoon. I didn't get a chance to take a photo before they were all gone. They are perfect pumpkin dessert for this time of year and look very nice when cut with all the different layers. I found the recipe in a cookbook that I purchased a few weeks ago. It is Better Homes and Gardens Classic recipes. It has lots of photographs and is full of recipes from past issues of the magazine all categorized according to months/seasons.

"These bars are special when they're made with your own homemade pumpkin puree. But canned pumkin also works beautifully for this recipe, and no one is likey to be the wiser."

Prep: 1 1/2 hr Bake: 55 minutes

2 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup cooked and pureed pumpkin ( I used canned)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. semisweet chocolate cut up
2 T butter
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust, BELOW
1 1/4 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
grated fresh nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 325 for filling, in a large bowl combine cream cheese and 1 3/4 cups sugar; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the filling into a medium bowl. Set both bowls of filling aside.

2. In a small saucepan melt chocolate and butter over very low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Stir melted chocolate into the 1 1/4 cups reserved filling. Carefully spread the chocolate filling evenly over the Graham Cracker Crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully pour remaining pumpkin over baked chocolate layer, spreading evenly.

3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until mixture is slightly puffed around edges and just set in center. Remove from the oven; cool for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and 1/4 cup sugar. Cover; let stand at room temp while bars cool.

4. Gently spread the sour cream layer onto bars. Cool. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before cutting. Sprinkle with nutmeg just before serving. To Serve, loosen the edges by moving a knife around the pan. keep any remaining bars refrigerated. Makes 24 servings.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

Lightly grease a 13X9X2-inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl stir together 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Add 1/3 cup melted butter; mix thoroughly. Press evenly onto bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.