Ingredients:
8 whole graham crackers
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut up
2 (8 ounce) packages low-fat cream cheese, softened ( Neufchatel)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 large eggs, plus
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 (15 ounce) cans canned solid-pack pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Toast nuts: Spread in baking pan.
Bake, in 350 oven, 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and papery skins begin to flake.
Turn hazelnuts out onto a towel and rub off skins.
Leave oven at 350.
Wrap foil over bottom and halfway up out side of 8-inch springform pan to keep butter from dripping out.
Lightly coat the 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
Crust: break crackers into a food processor.
Add hazelnuts, sugar and butter.
Process until fine crumbs form.
Press firmly over bottom and 1 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan.
Filling: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until smooth.
On low speed, beat in sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and sour cream, scrapping down sides of bowl often, until well blended.
Add eggs and egg whites; beat just until mixed.
Melt the chocolate chips according to the package directions.
Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture and stir until well blended.
Stir pumpkin and spices into remaining cheese mixture until well blended.
Reserve 1/4 C; pour rest into crust.
Pour the chocolate mixture onto pumpkin pumpkin batter in a thick ring about 1/2 inch from sides of pan.
Top with dollops of reserved 1/4 C pumpkin batter.
Run a knife through both batters for a marble effect.
Don’t overdo or the effect will be muddied.
Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted 2 inches from center of cake comes out clean.
Carefully run a knife around inside edge of pan to release cake.
Cool on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate in pan at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.
Can be frozen up to 3 months.
Thaw in refrigerator 2 days before serving.
To serve: remove pan sides.
Place on a serving plate.
Servings: 12
Time preparation: 40 min.
Time total: 115 min.