Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust recipe

Soft pears, perfectly smooth and rich filling and a crust made from gingersnap cookies, this pear cheesecake is a fabulous dessert to enjoy year round!

Do you know what day is today? It’s National Cheesecake Day!! One of my favorite days of the year!

I’ve mentioned lots of times chocolate cheesecake is my favorite dessert of all time, but truth be told I love cheesecake anything. For me cheesecake is one of those desserts I could eat every single day despite several other sweet options in the house.

There is something magical about the velvety filling that gets me All.The.Time.

Other reasons why I love cheesecake?

- it comes in so many flavor combinations! Chocolate cheesecake, dulce de leche cheesecake, candy cane cheesecake, biscoff cheesecake to name just a few!

- the filling can be made using various types of cheese. In addition to the standard cream cheese, you can make ricotta cheesecake and even goat cheese cheesecake!

Still not convinced why cheesecake is the best dessert ever? Maybe all the cheesecake recipes my friends and I are sharing today will convince you! (scroll to the bottom of this post to check all 60 cheesecake recipes)

This pear cheesecake is one of my favorite cheesecake at the moment. It’s rich, creamy and smooth, just like a cheesecake should be with lots of roughly chopped soft pear pieces and a touch of ground ginger. I love pairing pears with ginger but if you’re not a big fan, you could use cinnamon or nutmeg instead.

Despite its long list of ingredients, this cheesecake it’s actually fairly simple to make. The classic graham cracker crust is substituted by gingersnap crackers mixed with melted butter. Press evenly on the bottom of a 13X9″ baking pan. No extra sugar added and the crust requires no pre-baking. Just refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling, you’ll have to make the pears first. After they have been peeled and cored cook over low heat in a sugary water until just begin to soften. Remove from the stove, drain and let cool.

The cheese filling not only includes cream cheese, but sour cream as well.

For a silky smooth filling, it’s very important to remember to have the ingredients at room temperature. Now, that it’s summer time, leave your ingredients out for about an hour or so. You also have to keep in mind a light beating is all it’s needed. If you over-mix the cheesecake filling you’ll most likely end up with cracks.

Speaking of cracked cheesecake, making bars seems a whole lots easier and less likely to crack. If you prefer a round cheesecake (for a 9″ springform pan) half the recipe. It should work like a charm.

Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours

Yield: 20 bars

Soft pears, perfectly smooth and rich filling and a crust made from gingersnap cookies, this pear cheesecake is a fabulous dessert to enjoy year round!

Ingredients

Crust
8 oz gingersnaps
1/3 cup melted butter
Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3-4 firm pears
3X8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Instructions

Line a 13X9" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about one inch of paper hanging from the sides. Set aside.
In a food processor add the gingersnaps and pulse until finely ground. Pour in the melted butter and pulse for few seconds.
Remove for the food processor and with your fingers (or the back of a spoon) press evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Peel, core and roughly chop the pears.
In a small saucepan, add the 1/2 cup sugar, water, lemon juice and the pears.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are tender but not breaking up.
Remove from the heat, drain and cool completely.
Heat the oven to 325F.
In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and the remaining 1 cup sugar. With the paddle attachment on, beat on low speed until smooth.
Stir in the eggs, one at at time, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.
Last, beat in the sour cream and the ground ginger.
Arrange the pears over the crust, pour the filling and bake the cheesecake for approximately 50 minutes or until set.
Turn the oven off, slightly open the door and leave the cheesecake to cool in the warm oven for at least 1 hour before removing.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting into bars.
For a fancy look, top each cheesecake bar with whipped cream and a dust of ground ginger.