Brûléed Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8" square baking pan/dish with foil such that it covers the inside and hangs over enough to loosely cover the outside. You may need 2 pieces.
2. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until a fine crumb. Add the butter and pulse until moist. Spread the crumb over the bottom of the prepared pan and press to compress.
3. Bake until lightly browned and set, about 8 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Cheesecake

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend the creme cheeses with an electric mixer on medium until smooth.
3. Add the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, flour, salt, and spices and mix until combined and smooth. Do not over mix.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan over the crust. Bake until the cheesecake is set but still slightly loose in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Do no over bake. Ensure the foil overhang loosely covers the sides of the pan: this helps with an even bake. If you have a slightly larger larger pan than the 8x8", you could immerse the baking pan in the larger pan filled with enough hot water to meet the level of the cheesecake.
5. Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack to cool completely in the pan. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
6. Transfer the cheesecake to a work surface and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2" squares (the foil edge should help with this).

Finish

1. On a heat-safe work surface, sprinkle the tops of each square with sugar and torch the tops with a kitchen torch until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber color. Refrigerate until ready to serve.