The first time I served this, our friend exclaimed, “This tastes like fall in a jar.” Indeed. This is a guilty pleasure fall dessert for sure. That it’s a simple, no-bake cheesecake which requires only a few steps to compose seems like the best part- but then you taste it and realize that THAT is the best part. I’ve tested it with regular graham crackers for the crust and also chocolate wafer cookies, but the Oreos really give it that extra oomph and pizazz that will make you swoon. Mascarpone is a sweet, creamy Italian version of cream cheese, but if you can’t find it, substituting cream cheese will yield an equally delicious result.

The piping bag makes a quick and neat presentation, but you can also use a spoon to dollop the filling in the jars.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars

Prep Time20 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 7 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies such as Oreo’s or Newman’s Own
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 8 ounces mascarpone softened or use cream cheese
• 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Whip cream using a mixer or hand held beaters until soft peaks. Set in the refrigerator until later.
• In a separate bowl or mixer, beat the mascarpone until smooth. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and spices. Beat in the powdered sugar ½ cup at at time, until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream.
• Place the cookies in a food processor with the melted butter and grind to crumbs. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for garnish, then spoon two tablespoons into the bottom of each of 8 glasses, pressing on the crumbs to form the “crust.” (If you have leftover crumbs you can use them with the reserved 2 tablespoons for garnish).
• Carefully spoon the pumpkin filling on top of the cookie crumbs, or you can put the filling into a piping bag or ziplock with a corner snipped off. Distribute the filling equally among the glasses, then refrigerate for at least one hour, and up to 8.
• To serve, dollop some whipped cream over the pumpkin and garnish with the reserved cookie crumbs.