This pumpkin cheesecake with caramel topping and a gingersnap crust is worth the little bit of trouble it will cause you! I know, this is a long one but it's for Thanksgiving. (Or you could always beat up a Village Inn pie a little and put it in your own pie plate!)

CRUST:
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup crushed ginger snaps
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
2 pounds cream cheese
15 ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
caramel sauce and cool whip for topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Generously butter entire inside of springform pan. Allow cream cheese to soften and reach room temperature. Allow eggs to reach room temperature.
CRUST: In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, crushed ginger snaps, finely chopped pecans, sugar and melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom and up approximately 1½ inches on the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding filling.
FILLING: Mix together flour and spices, set aside. Beat softened cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugar to cream cheese and beat an additional 1 minute . In a small bowl, blend together flour mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla. When completely blended, add to cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on low speed. Beat just enough to blend each egg.
Pour pumpkin mixture into completely cooled crust. Fill a 9"x13" pan half full with water. Place the pan with the water on the bottom rack of the oven. Place the cheesecake on the middle rack. The moisture in the oven helps prevent deep cracking of cheesecake.
Bake 1 hour and 35 minutes(do NOT open the door during the first hour of baking. Turn oven off, open the door, and leave cheese cake in oven for an additional 30 minutes to cool. Remove from oven and cool for another 30 minutes.
Cover and chill a minimum of 3 hours.
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