• Pecan crust ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups ground pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 10 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Topping:
• Reddi Wip
• Melted Caramel

1. Crust Instructions
3. 1. First, create and bake the crust. Grind the pecan pieces in a food processor until they are a fine, crumb consistency.
4. 2. Combine ground pecans with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. 3. Add the melted butter and mix together.
6. 4. Grease a muffin pan with non-stick spray and press the mixture into each tin. I used a spoon to press it up against the sides and then put some in the bottom of the tin and pressed down.
7. 5. Put the pan in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. 6. Cook the crusts in the oven for about 5 minutes and then remove and set aside.
11. Filling Instructions:
13. 1. If your cream cheese is coming out of the refrigerator, soften in the microwave a little before blending it (but not too much to where it starts to melt).
14. 2. Blend the softened cream cheese with the egg and sugar.
15. 3. Add in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and beat until smooth.
16. 4. Spoon the mixture into each pecan crust in the muffin pan.
17. 5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until it appears to have set. It will most likely start to crack on the top and brown a little on the sides.
18. 6. Let the mini cheesecakes cool for about 30 minutes.
19. 7. To remove from the pan, run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake and then flip the pan over onto a plate. Do this gently to avoid the cheesecakes breaking in the process.
20. 8. Place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
22. Topping it off:
24. 1. Top the cheesecake with your choice of whipped topping (I used Reddi Wip).
25. 2. Drizzle with warm, melted caramel.

In the spirit of pumpkin-flavored everything, I wanted to create a mini-pumpkin cheesecake that would be the perfect party treat. I also generally bake and eat gluten-free, so I decided to try a pecan crust to pair with the cheesecake. And no dessert is complete without some whipped cream and caramel to top it all off. Thus, the mini pumpkin cheesecake in a pecan crust with caramel drizzle was created.